Hot Ones' latest guest is a total quack

Hot Ones has become shorthand for cool celebrity promo, and Sean Evans is willing to do anything to solidify the show’s place in popular culture. He put Maya Rudolph’s character Molly Novak through the hot wings gauntlet on Loot and riffed with Zac Efron’s character Chris Cole in the film A Family Affair. Now on the latest episode of Hot Ones, Evans is paired with an animated icon, Donald Duck. (Don’t worry, he’s eating cauliflower nuggets.) What will Hot Ones nation come up with yet?

If you’re unfamiliar with Disney history, the episode actually provides a great background for Donald’s 90th anniversary, going all the way back to the cartoon short “The Wise Little Hen.” Hot Ones is clearly happy going all-in on the Disney bit, with a set of special Disney themed hot sauces (shout out to the Powerline Shock Sauce). Mickey Mouse is even depicted on the sideline rolling his eyes at Donald’s antics and rushing in with a gallon of milk to cool his pal down after a particularly spicy wing. Mickey’s casual street style, by the way, consists of a drawstring hoodie and sweatpants. Celebrities really are just like us.

The whole exercise is apparently an excuse to show off “The Donald we all know and love, king of the tantrums,” as Evans puts it. (“Of course, Donald can get a bit cranky at times, but all of the artists involved loved animating him!” animator Eric Goldberg said in a statement about the episode.) But it’s also a moment of pop culture synergy. “Mickey Mouse and his friends, including Donald Duck have always been a part of popular culture so it only made sense that Donald and Mickey appear on one of the most recognized internet shows with celebrity guests,” Disney’s Brand Marketing director Tim Pennoyer helpfully explained in a press release. Meanwhile, Evans is doing his best Michael Jordan in Space Jam, and he’s not bad at it, actually. It seems there’s no stopping Hot Ones in its rapid ascent to the top.