Chicken Shop Daterecently celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking 2024 as atruly significant year for comedian and host,Amelia Dimoldenberg. Dimoldenberg has carved herself a unique niche in the entertainment industry, balancing a deadpan yet hopeful romantic persona with sharp business instincts. What began as aquirky interview series focused on musicianshas grown into a cultural phenomenon, expanding her profile to Hollywood’s elite. Today, Dimoldenberg has become what feels like an overnight success, known even among Hollywood’s elite. Once she began to invite these red-carpet A-lister actors onto the show, her distinctive witty nature was introduced to an even wider audience than before.
Dimoldenberg’spersona on the seriesis brash, confident, and completely unfazed by the level of celebrity on the other side of her interrogative gaze. The core concept of the series is the aggressive flirtatious style Dimoldenberg affects as she searches for a romantic connection with her guests. With a small dose of delusional self-confidence, plus a commendable commitment to “the bit"that the interview is actually a date, Dimoldenberg is free to move beyond the mundane interview questions these artists are typically asked. When she is faced with someone willing to engage with her delusionally hopeful but aggressively flirtatious persona, Dimoldenberg showsa tendency to blend her persona with more of her personality, which can be seen as an evolution in the series format, as she is confronted with her own approach by celebrities who are in on the bit.
The recentAndrew Garfieldinterview that the collective internet hasdubbed the greatest rom-comof 2024 is the latest and best example of this shift in the series, as her guests come prepared, not only to play along but to also try to beat Dimoldenberg at her own game. With her decade-long experience inhabiting herChicken Shop Datepersona, it is still rare that she doesn’t correct course and retain the upper handby the end of the date. And with the added experience of serving as a red-carpet correspondent, and the press tours that have come with the success of her series,Dimoldenberg’s comedic timing and hosting skills have been honed into something truly unique in modern entertainment.
Amelia’s Chicken Shop Persona Evolved Over Time
The idea for the dating seriescame to Dimoldenberg as a youth group member who had never been on a date, wondering if she could craft an interview/date scenario where she could get to know the musicians her friends liked. She would proceed as if her first interview with UK rapperGhettswasn’t really an interview, but rather a date where she inhabits an awkward yet contrary persona who is searching for love. And the series grew from there. AsChicken Shop Dateprogressed and gained notoriety,Dimoldenberg began to “date” more and more popular artists, until hitting a pinnacle in 2024, with guests likeSabrina Carpenter,Billie Eilish,SZA,Paul Mescal,Cher,Ryan Reynolds,Hugh Jackman, and a host of well-known andacclaimed celebrities, comedians, and artists.
Over time, the series became more self-aware as guests started to come prepared. It isn’t uncommon that innuendos and double entendres will leave at least one party blushing. The musical guests with media training come on and do their best to outlast Dimoldenberg in her game of flirting chicken,playing along with the date conceptuntil one party orthe other inevitably breaks character, suddenly laughing over the vibe they have created together. Once talented and trained actors likeJennifer LawrenceandAndrew Garfieldappeared on the scene, Dimoldenberg began to struggle with outmatching the flirtatious energy her scene partners were able to affect.With these actors pushing her with their “yes, and?” energy, there is an added improvisational quality to the dates, where Dimoldenberg has to continue to find ways to zig when her subject zags inthe flirtatious dance being played.
Why Was the Andrew Garfield Interview So Big?
The Andrew Garfield episode ofChicken Shop Dateis the pinnacle of this new back-and-forth the series almost insists upon. During her appearance onHot Ones, a similar fried-chicken-based interview series, and even again in herChicken Shop Dateepisode with Billie Eilish, Dimoldenberg admitted that she enjoys it when a guest comes onwho wants to play alongwith the date concept. In her early years, she was better able tocatch her guests off guardwith her blunt and personal questions about their dating preferences and romantic hopes, whereas now she has to play an interesting game with her celebrity guests, where they attempt to one-up her playfully romantic persona. Dimoldenberg and Garfield first met when she was a red-carpet correspondent atGQ’s Men of the Year Awards in 2022 when he shocked and surprised her by acknowledginghe was a fan of her work. The pair flirted back and forth, and ended the exchange with a tiny toast to their “future date.”
They continuedto build on their flirtatious vibeat the 2023 Golden Globes, where Garfield bashfully acknowledged that their horoscopes align well for a romantic scenario, but then attempted to draw a firm line on the idea of “dating” Dimoldenberg, saying he was scared ofthe strength of their chemistry. And it was here the internet decided that the pair were destined to be together. As they are both professional entertainers, there is no way to tell how much of the chemistry is “real” and how much of it is this improvisational skit quality thatChicken Shop Dateis starting to take on, where both parties are attemptingto keep the scene going.
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In the episode where Garfield finally appeared on the series, after two yearsof playful back and forth, he observed, in a confessional tone, that he had been watching her dance from across the room at a party once, assuming the role of passive admirer. It isa moment seemingly out of a rom-com— there is no way for anyone observing them to say whether this happened or not. Garfield calling attention to the fact thathe had made Dimoldenberg blush during their interview seemed like a shift in the series. He repeatedly hinted thatthe pair might have a future together, or might have had one, if not for the interview blowing up the opportunity. Garfield seemed determined to beat Dimoldenberg at her game, and sincehe is an exceptionally talented and emotive actor, and she is commendablycommitted to her hard-to-get persona, the public was left wanting more. The pair’s notable chemistry, and the collective internet’s desire to see the two make the romance real, challenge Dimoldenberg to maintain the hopeful romantic persona now thatthe ball has been placed so thoroughly in her courtby someone who is seemingly just as happy to commit to the bit as long as she will.
Dimoldenberg’s Future in Entertainment Is Bright
The success Dimoldenberg achieved in 2024 did not come overnight. Even as she was buildingChicken Shop Date, she was also developing other series onYouTube, likeAmelia’s Cooking Show, andCelebrity Rebrand. The evolution ofChicken Shop Dateto includea more improvisational quality, the different skill sets she has developed with her other YouTube series, and her interactions as a red carpet correspondent demonstrate that she has what it takes to expand beyond the “date” conceptwhenever she is ready to do so.
Not that she should be in a hurry, as Dimoldenberg isin an enviable position of having created something unique and independentin an era where celebrity interviews are often straightforward corporate promotional content. Whenever she is ready to move into a new position as alate-night host, a game show host, a touring comedian, or whatever lane is next for her, Dimoldenberg has the right skill set when it comes to creating memorable moments with whoever she engages.
