When Amelia Dimoldenberg posted a video to social media this week, telling an unknown companion “we need to talk”, it felt like a monumental announcement was on the horizon. Chicken Shop Date, Dimoldenberg’s YouTube series, is coming to an end. The press release covering the announcement came packed with superlatives.
Chicken Shop Date has generated 34m hours of views over the years, and has reached 97% of all countries on the planet. What it didn’t mention is that Chicken Shop Date helped to legitimise YouTube as a platform that has taken on – and perhaps beaten – television. The very fact that the Guardian is covering the end of a YouTube video series in the first place is, in part, down to Chicken Shop Date.
Nevertheless, the writing has clearly been on the wall for some time. Dimoldenberg is moving on to bigger and better things – she hosts red carpet interviews for several major awards and is writing a romcom film, plus a YA show for the BBC – but Chicken Shop Date has also started to ossify. What began as a fun and flirty interview show, which thrived on the genuine tension that sometimes occurred between host and guest, has gradually become just another stop on the promotional cycle.
It’s hard to try to flirt with someone who has quite clearly just been shoved in front of you by a publicist, as has been the case in some recent episodes (Ben Stiller, Elmo). Still, it’s easy to see why the show was so popular. Dimoldenberg’s entire demeanour, simultaneously needy and passive aggressive, has made for compelling viewing over the years.
In terms of sheer pop culture heft, it’s worth remembering that it was Dimoldenberg who first goaded Louis Theroux into reprising a rap he first performed in a documentary 26 years ago. It immediately went viral. Shakira danced to it on Jimmy Fallon and, despite the Chicken Shop Date redux happening four years ago, Theroux still references it approximately once every 45 seconds on his podcast.
There is also the tidal wave of interest generated by her romance (showmance? Fauxmance?) with Andrew Garfield, with whom she had shared some conspicuous chemistry on various red carpets. When he finally appeared on Chicken Shop Date in 2024, public intrigue was so high that the episode ended up getting 13m views.
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