SETTING THE VIBES FOR HIS 'HOUSE GUEST'

Scott Evans invites VIPs and viewers home on YouTube show

- BY NATE JACKSON

ROBERT GAUTHIER Los Angeles Times "HOUSE GUEST" host Scott Evans interviewed former Vice President Kamala Harris on his YouTube show a year after its launch. Now he's setting out on a tour.

There's an art to being a good host, whether on a talk show or in your own home. For Scott Evans, the ability to do both while making them look effortless is the key to his success with "House Guest.

In just one year, his popular, Webby Award-winning YouTube show has had many of the biggest stars, from R&B/pop singer Khalid to Vice President Kamala Harris, step across its threshold. While it may not be strange for someone like Evans, a host for "Access Hollywood," to gab with celebrities daily, starting "House Guest" on his own with the hope of parlaying it into TV success made him very nervous in the beginning.

"I dreamed of being able to do this job, this show, for a network. I wanted Jimmy Fallon's job, I want to host 'The Tonight Show,'" Evans said during a recent interview with The Times. "That's really why we started 'House Guest' ... for an opportunity for me to practice. You can't just give me 'The Tonight Show,' I gotta demonstrate some success." After trying to pitch the show to various networks, Evans decided in 2024 to bet on himself and create the at-home show on his own, with his first guest being comedian KevOnStage, airing in June 2024.

Since then, Evans' journey has enjoyed viral success and attention for the show's live viewing events, dubbed "House Parties," where fans are invited to come to watch the episodes together as a family. Next year, this ritual will expand into a multiple-city tour around the country where Evans plans to host live "House Guest" tapings, allowing fans of the show to step into his world.