Comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg, "Chicken Shop Date" host and creator, on raising awkwardness to an art form
In her YouTube series, "Chicken Shop Date," English comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg has a knack for creating viral moments as she interviews big-name celebrities.
Shot in chicken shops around London, the 29-year-old's "dates" draw millions of views. She has interviewed celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Jack Harlow and Ed Sheeran.
"I almost see it as more of a comedy series than an interview series in a way," Dimoldenberg told CBS News.
"As soon as I'm in the shop, then I'm sort of like, 'Okay, it's time to be the girl from 'Chicken Shop Date,'" said Dimoldenberg.
And who is that girl?
"Well, it's like an exaggeration of me," she said. "I'm probably a bit more serious in real life. And maybe not as awkward."
Dimoldenberg has elevated awkwardness to an art form. She said she's always found awkwardness to be charming, and disarming.
"Awkwardness is a part of life," she said. "It happens every day. Especially if you're British."
In one episode, Matty Healy, front man of the band The 1975, created his own awkward moment, deciding it was time to kiss, for real.
"I never thought that he would try and kiss me over the table," Dimoldenberg said.
"And I thought, I obviously can't kiss him," she said. "I had a split second. I thrive under pressure, it seems. And so, I kissed him on the forehead, which I think was the absolutely right decision. I like it when people sort of surprise me at my own game!"
Growing up in London, Dimoldenberg dreamed of being the editor of Vogue and studied fashion journalism at Central Saint Martins University.
"I was just obsessed with reading fashion magazines. I actually blame Mary Kate and Ashley for making me such an ambitious child, because they really had it all and I wanted to do it all, too," she said.
At 17, she conceived "Chicken Shop Date," first for a youth club magazine, then on YouTube. She now has a team, but is still her own boss.
"The weight is on your shoulders, and that has often filled me with a lot of worry," she said.
She dealt with that by talking to her sister, whose advice to "calm down" has worked — most of the time, she said.
Lately, Dimoldenberg is in demand on red carpets. She hosted at the European premiere of "Barbie" in London.
"My job is interviewing celebrities; where better to find them than on a red carpet, you know?" Dimoldenberg said. "There's just an influx of them – it's literally a conveyor belt of celebrities. So, for me, that's my dream. I mean, like, wow, I couldn't think of a better place to stand for four hours in heels!"
After years of chasing the stars, now they're coming to her. But Dimoldenberg is still waiting for her "dream date": Drake. He has offered her dates before — but not in a chicken shop.
"I'm playing hard to get, so you know, you got to keep them on their toes. He wanted to film in Sweden, yes. And I said it has to be in the U.K., you know, have to do the real deal," she said.
While not many people would turn down a date with Drake in Sweden, Dimoldenberg said, "I know, it's true, but I just think that we need to keep it authentic. And so, for me it was important that we did it in a local chicken shop, and he agreed. I'm always right!"
