Maybe you saw the red carpet interview where she had Andrew Garfield blushing and bumbling over his words, or maybe you saw the viral video of her flirting with Daniel Kaluuya so hard you could physically feel the chemistry through your screen, but one thing is for sure: you’ve probably seen Amelia Dimoldenberg, and if you haven’t, you will. The Westminster-born journalist, comedian, and YouTuber has been stealing the hearts of British rappers, athletes and celebrities for years, and she’s about to steal yours, too.
“It’s weird what you do.”
Red carpet host @ameliadimz and Andrew Garfield discuss his #GQMOTY cover shoot.https://t.co/t84YJst0OM #GQMOTYXBOSS pic.twitter.com/ly3p7lMEkQ
— British GQ (@BritishGQ) November 18, 2022
Dimoldenberg started her original web series, Chicken Shop Date, in 2014. and has been on a steady upward trajectory ever since. The premise of Chicken Shop Date is simple: she invites celebrities on a date to a chicken shop (a restaurant that usually serves fried and/or peri-peri style chicken, for us Americans), and delightfully charming flirting ensues. In the hands of any other person, the show could easily be an awkward, off-putting disaster, but with the 29-year-old Dimoldenberg at the helm, it makes for endearing and hilarious entertainment.
The idea is kind of brilliant—first dates are all about getting to know someone. Combine that with the nervously excited energy that comes with courting a potential partner and you’ve got the perfect environment for a juicy celebrity interview. There is nothing better than watching your favorite famous people get flustered when Dimoldenberg asks them, “So, do you believe in love at first sight?”
As much as amazing content would come from anyone asking a celebrity what their usual “type” is, it’s Dimoldenberg’s disarming likability that makes Chicken Shop Date special. Her dry sense of humor and quick wit give her an air of confidence that is balanced with just a touch of awkwardness. She is able to poke fun at celebrities that are probably more used to romantic partners bending over backwards at the opportunity to date them, in contrast to Dimoldenberg’s perpetually disinterested energy.
Something particularly refreshing about the show is getting to watch flirtatious interactions being controlled and dominated by a woman. There’s no polite, fake chuckles, feigned interest or gracious laughter—Dimoldenberg doesn’t contort or shrink herself to be more agreeable—she makes her guests keep up with her, and the results are endlessly entertaining. She commented on how her interview style varies from what is typically expected from women in an interview with The New York Times, “Most women who work in media are beautiful and accommodating and bubbly and personable. Now that would be a real performance for me.”
Chicken Shop Date has hosted major UK names like Central Cee, Aitch, Charli XCX, Daniel Kaluuya and Ed Sheeran, as well as some international names like Keke Palmer, Phoebe Bridgers, Rosalía, Jack Harlow, BUST cover star, Kehlani, and many more. Dimoldenberg has another YouTube series called Amelia’s Cooking Show where she invites famous guests to, you guessed it, cook a meal with her, and even another show, Fake News, where she essentially plays her own version of two-truths-and-a-lie with footballers and other athletes.
With an ever-growing social media following and her very own production company, Dimz Inc., this is clearly just the beginning of a long and fruitful career for Amelia Dimoldenberg. The journalist and media personality is sure to be gracing many more red carpets and maybe even more TV screens, as she teased an original show she’s been writing in her profile with The New York Times last year. If you want to keep up with Dimoldenberg and all of her current and upcoming projects, you can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.
Top photo is a screenshot from Chicken Shop Date on YouTube
