A woman in a white dress with long red hair and a bald man in a blue shirt embrace and smile at each other in front of a dark table set with wings and hot sauce.
Hot Ones / Backgrid
Gossip

Keke Palmer Kissed Sean Evans Across the Table on ‘Hot Ones,’ and Now They’ve Been Spotted at Dinner in Brooklyn

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A photo tip to DeuxMoi caught Keke Palmer and Sean Evans deep in conversation at a Brooklyn restaurant the night of June 12, and fans immediately read it as more than a work dinner.

The “Hot Ones” moment that started it ran last September, during Keke’s third trip to the show. After clearing the full wing lineup, she brought up an old interview where Sean confessed a crush, then suggested a quick kiss “to see if there’s a spark.” They kissed across the table. “The sparks are sparking,” she said. Sean’s reply: “When I’m dying, and my life flashes before my eyes, I’ll have that snapshot.”

A woman in a white dress and a bald man in a light blue shirt face each other smiling, hands on each other's waists, at a dark studio table with hot sauce and wings.
Keke Palmer and Hot Ones host Sean Evans share a moment together on the set of the show, with colorful confetti effects bursting around them. Credit: Hot Ones.
A bald man and a woman with long red hair in a white dress kiss while embracing in front of a dark draped table with food and drinks.
The two lean in for a kiss in front of the Hot Ones table, surrounded by the show’s signature spread of wings, hot sauce, and water pitchers. Credit: Hot Ones.

The two reunited weeks before the dinner when Sean guested on Keke’s podcast, “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.” They flirted, bonded over shared Midwest roots, played Twister, and traded “I love yous.” Fans called it professional flirting.

Close-up of a woman with auburn hair and gold jewelry kissing a bald man from behind his shoulder, her hands wrapped around his neck, with a First We Feast logo in the corner.
A close-up captures the kiss from behind Evans’ shoulder, with Palmer’s gold rings and long nails visible as she pulls him in. Credit: Hot Ones.

The dinner photo pushed past 2.7 million views in a day. One reply summed up the mood: “He looks smitten.”

A smiling bald man seen over the shoulder of a curly-haired person at a warmly lit restaurant table with candles and red drinks in the background.
Evans smiles warmly at the candlelit table inside Brooklyn’s Lucali restaurant during the pair’s dinner outing on June 14, 2025. Photo by Backgrid.

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A woman in a white dress with long red hair and a bald man in a blue shirt embrace and smile at each other in front of a dark table set with wings and hot sauce.
Hot Ones Backgrid
A woman in a white dress and a bald man in a light blue shirt face each other smiling, hands on each other's waists, at a dark studio table with hot sauce and wings.
Keke Palmer and Hot Ones host Sean Evans share a moment together on the set of the show, with colorful confetti effects bursting around them. Credit: Hot Ones.
A bald man and a woman with long red hair in a white dress kiss while embracing in front of a dark draped table with food and drinks.
The two lean in for a kiss in front of the Hot Ones table, surrounded by the show's signature spread of wings, hot sauce, and water pitchers. Credit: Hot Ones.
Close-up of a woman with auburn hair and gold jewelry kissing a bald man from behind his shoulder, her hands wrapped around his neck, with a First We Feast logo in the corner.
A close-up captures the kiss from behind Evans' shoulder, with Palmer's gold rings and long nails visible as she pulls him in. Credit: Hot Ones.
A smiling bald man seen over the shoulder of a curly-haired person at a warmly lit restaurant table with candles and red drinks in the background.
Evans smiles warmly at the candlelit table inside Brooklyn's Lucali restaurant during the pair's dinner outing on June 14, 2025. Photo by Backgrid.

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About the author

Nadia Santiago

Nadia Santiago is a writer who lives between the clouds and the coastline, and writes about all the things your heart knows but your mouth can never quite say.