'I eat pepper every day!': Idris Elba is embarrassed by that 'Hot Ones' meme

Apparently all that coughing wasn't due to the heat.
 By 
Amanda Yeo
 on 
Idris Elba on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
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Idris Elba has attempted to reclaim his dignity, explaining to The Daily Show host Trevor Noah what was really happening in that viral Hot Ones clip that became a meme.

For those who haven't seen the voraciously GIFed moment, the video features Elba vigorously coughing and tearing up after eating a chicken wing covered in Da'Bomb's Beyond Insanity hot sauce. According to Hot Ones, this sauce has 135,600 Scoville heat units.

Regardless of how good the meme is, the Beast actor apparently finds it somewhat embarrassing.

"I eat pepper every day," Elba told Noah.

"First of all, you know, just to clear this up: It wasn't the hot wings that got me," Elba told Noah. "It was like, you know when, you know, the spit goes down the wrong [part of your] throat? You don't believe me?"

"No no, I believe you," Noah reassured him. "But I'm just saying. I'm just saying."

Topics Trevor Noah

Amanda Yeo
Amanda Yeo
Assistant Editor

Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets.


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