Anne Hathaway had a clever idea for the “Verity” press tour. She wanted to finally sit across from Sean Evans and take on the brutal “Hot Ones” wing challenge for real. The timing seemed almost too perfect. “Hot Ones” actually appears in “Verity,” with Hathaway’s character facing the famous spicy wings during her own fictional promotional tour.

However, there was one major problem with Hathaway’s real life plan. The pregnant “Verity” star says her doctor advised her to stay away from the increasingly spicy wings because of concerns about early labor. Hathaway is currently pregnant with her third child. She revealed the unexpected reason behind her missing “Hot Ones” appearance during a conversation on the “Talk of the Townsends” podcast.

The 43-year-old actress said she had hoped to face the complete ten wing gauntlet while promoting “Verity.” Her doctor had other ideas and advised her not to attempt the challenge during her pregnancy.

Anne Hathaway Already Faced “Hot Ones” in “Verity”

Anne / IG / The situation has an amusing twist because Hathaway has technically appeared on “Hot Ones” already. She just did it while playing bestselling author Verity Crawford instead of appearing as herself.

In “Verity,” Hathaway’s character appears on the interview show as part of her public life as a famous author. The scene puts Verity in Sean Evans’ familiar setup, complete with the wings that become hotter as the interview progresses.

Hathaway did not completely fake the experience while filming the sequence. She said she actually ate the first three spicy wings before the production switched to dummy wings that did not pack the same heat.

That gave the Oscar winning actress a small taste of the challenge without forcing her through the entire ten wing lineup. Still, Hathaway did not consider those three wings her official “Hot Ones” experience.

There was a surprisingly personal reason behind that decision. Hathaway compared doing “Hot Ones” for the first time to having a first kiss, something she wanted to experience as herself instead of through a fictional character. She wanted her first full run through the challenge to feel genuine. Playing Verity Crawford while eating all ten wings would have turned that first experience into another piece of acting.

That choice left Hathaway with unfinished business after filming wrapped. A real appearance during the movie’s promotional campaign seemed like the perfect chance to return and complete what she had started.

The idea also carried a neat promotional connection. Hathaway could have gone from playing Verity Crawford on “Hot Ones” inside the movie to appearing on the actual show as herself while promoting “Verity.”

Why Hathaway’s Doctor Said No to the Spicy Challenge?

Anne / IG / Scientific evidence that spicy food reliably starts labor remains limited, so Hathaway’s comments should not be treated as general medical advice for pregnant women.

Hathaway was describing guidance given by her own doctor for her own pregnancy. Her physician apparently decided that tackling ten increasingly spicy wings created an unnecessary risk while the actress was expecting her third child.

The “Hot Ones” challenge is also far removed from casually adding hot sauce to dinner. Guests work through ten chicken wings covered in sauces that climb sharply in heat, with the final rounds designed to test even confident spice lovers. Celebrities regularly end up sweating, coughing, crying, or reaching desperately for a drink. Those reactions have become part of the appeal of the long running interview series hosted by Sean Evans.

Hathaway had been willing to put herself through that experience. Her doctor’s warning gave the “Devil Wears Prada” star a strong reason to leave the hottest sauces alone for now.

The actress appears comfortable with postponing the challenge rather than abandoning it completely. She acknowledged that she still has not finished the gauntlet and floated the possibility of returning to it next year.

Ami Ciccone