Jake Gyllenhaal took on the wings of death in the “Hot Ones” Season 20 finale Thursday, and — after jokingly questioning who would use a toothpick during the process — walked back his comment when he found out it was Elizabeth Olsen.
After a middle-of-the-road sauce with a Mermaid on its label, Gyllenhaal drew attention to the toothpicks and wet napkins available for use beside his chicken wing platter. He competitively refused to use either one, humorously dragging any “a–hole” who’d done so before him.
“What a–hole used a f–kin’ toothpick?” the “Covenant” star asked, incredulously.
Host Sean Evans revealed that “WandaVision” actress Elizabeth Olsen had actually broken them out — a revelation for which Gyllenhaal immediately apologized.
“Oh, sorry Elizabeth,” he said, laughing. “She’s, like, literally the least a–hole I’ve ever met so, I’m sorry.”
“Walk that one back, Jake?” Evans asked.
“I absolutely am walking that back,” the actor said. “Gimme 14 of the Apollos, I’m sorry.”
Gyllenhaal was referring to the hottest sauce in the gauntlet, the Last Dab of Apollo.
Olsen gracefully used a toothpick to remove some chicken from her teeth after biting into the Scorpion Disco wing, ninth in her lineup of sauces and level 649,000 on the Scoville spice ranking. She and Evans recalled how her “Ingrid Goes West” co-star Aubrey Plaza snorted milk to get through that saucy sensation.
Following Gyllenhaal’s apology, Evans moved right on with the questions asking if it was more uncomfortable to simulate altitude sickness with Josh Brolin or getting tased for his role as an LAPD cop in “End of Watch.”
The wide-ranging interview also had Gyllenhaal walking down memory lane ti discuss his roles in projects as varied as “Nightcrawler,” “Prisoners,” “Jarheads” and others. He can next be seen in “The Covenant,” which arrives in theaters April 21.
