What makes a bad celebrity interview? In my opinion, the answer is simple: journalists that cross the line.
Just watch a YouTube interview fail compilation (questions about breakups and makeups, diets and drugs), and you’ll be amazed that these figures ever take interviews at all.
It’s interesting then to consider “Chicken Shop Date,” the latest talk show of choice for today’s celebrities, hosted by British comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg. This YouTube interview series features a simple yet engaging premise: Dimoldenberg converses with notable guests over nuggets and fries in a few humble London chicken shops.
Since the show’s first episode with rapper Ghetts in 2014, Dimoldenberg has “dated” everyone from Oscar-winning actors to Grammy-recognized artists. She made Cher giggle and romanced all three of the Jonas Brothers. But Dimoldenberg’s on-camera persona is far from debonair. Rather, it’s intentionally awkward and stilted.
“I’m not available on the menu,” she quips to Album of the Year-winner Billie Eilish. To Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, she notes that her type is “actors…good ones…it’s not you.” In a posh deadpan, she wonders if Jack Harlow can read and asks Paul Mescal to audition for her rom-com with a sappy love confession.
The fumbling energy in the air is truly reminiscent of a first date. There are occasional gaps in conversation, an absence of background music and unexpected jump-cuts to bubbling oil fryers. Occasionally, I found myself cringing, but the off-beat chemistry in each interaction kept me enthralled — which is the point, according to Dimoldenberg.
“You’re not meant to flirt with the talent,” she said in an interview with “Vanity Fair.” “That’s why I think it’s funny. You are watching something where it’s bending the rules or subverting the interview.”
Given Dimoldenberg’s unsolicited overtures, mild abrasiveness and resistance to breaking character, “Chicken Shop” really shouldn’t work. Yet it does.
Unlike many hosts, like Diane Sawyer infamously pushing Britney Spears to tears over an ex, her schtick isn’t mean-spirited, just eccentric. For once, it isn’t the celebrity who serves as the main spectacle, but Dimoldenberg instead. It’s no surprise, then, that the show’s most satisfying when Dimoldenberg manages to “break” her guests. Once they surrender to the absurdity, all pressure and gravitas vanish. Displays of personality aren’t extracted, but offered willingly.
In one episode, actress Jennifer Lawrence recalls a mystery co-star’s subpar kissing technique. She won’t reveal their identity to viewers, but in the same hasty whisper you’d use to gossip with a girl friend, Lawrence reassures Dimoldenberg, “I’ll tell you after.” Given how protective media-trained celebrities are of their public image, it’s refreshing to watch that camaraderie develop. Judging by Chicken Shop Date’s 566.3 million views, the internet agrees.
And who knows where else her rapport skills will take her? Outside the chicken shop, Dimoldenberg is also a fixture at high-profile events. Former guests, or “exes,” seek her out on the GQ red carpet. At the Oscars and BAFTAs, potential dates are taken by her.
“I only ever want to see you,” actor Andrew Garfield tells Dimoldenberg at the 2023 Golden Globes, two months after their first encounter. Perhaps spotting the game glint in Dimoldenberg’s eye, he adds a quick clarification: “I only ever want to see you in these kinds of situations!”
Dimoldenberg is a rare journalist whose company celebrities don’t suffer, but genuinely delight in. Hopefully, this quirkiness gives her staying power in a fickle industry. So long as Dimoldenberg doesn’t tire of chicken-flavored flirtation, I know I’ll keep gobbling it up.
Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.