Cheetos

“Flamin’ Hot” Tells The Story Of America’s Favorite Spicy Chip

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Do you know how Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were invented? According to Richard Montañez, he invented them while working as a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory in Rancho Cucamonga. He was inspired by the spicy flavors of Latine street food and then took the bold step of calling the chief executive of Frito-Lay himself. He went from janitor to executive to motivational speaker by embracing his heritage and believing in himself. The debut of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos came at a time when PepsiCo was fighting for its life on multiple fronts of the food and beverage market. The company needed a product that could compete with the Anheuser-Busch-owned Eagle Snacks brand.

Now, there are claims that his story is a complete fabrication. Frito-Lay claims that the iconic, neon-red chip was created by a product committee in 1989. This was in order to fight Eagle Snacks in the Midwest. More specifically, it was in order to capitalize on the rise of inner-city bodegas. To be clear, Montañez did rise from plant worker to marketing director. Frito-Lay just refutes that he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. But where’s the fun in corporate brand marketing?

“Flamin’ Hot” Tells Montañez’s Side Of The Story

Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) brings Montañez’s origin story of the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto to life in her directorial debut. This is the story of a former gang member trying to turn his life around. With the Frito-Lay factory where he works under threat of closure, Montañez embraces the “it burns in a good way” spiciness of Latine cuisine to create a snack that will save the factory.

Jesse Garcia (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series) stars as Montañez. He’s a family man with a troubled past and a heart of gold. Annie Gonzalez stars as Montañez’s ever-supportive wife, Judy. Additionally, there are big-name actors in major supporting roles. Dennis Haysbert (Far From Heaven, 24) plays Clarence, a fellow janitor who helps Montañez find his courage. Meanwhile, Tony Shalhoub (Monk, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) takes on the role of Pepsico executive and Cheetos brand manager, Roger Enrico. While its authenticity may be questionable, Flamin’ Hot is set to be a heart-warming and tongue-tingling look at believing in yourself. Flamin’ Hot comes to Hulu on June 9.

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Joyner Lucas Roasts Usher For “Cheeto” Hair

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Joyner Lucas trolled Usher on social media in response to the iconic singer’s new haircut. Usher had shared a video of himself with orange hair on Instagram, Monday.

“My n***a lookin like a flaming hot Cheeto #legend,” Lucas wrote in response to the look.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 18: Recording artist Joyner Lucas performs on stage at Viejas Arena on October 18, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

Lucas wasn’t alone in making fun of the hairstyle. Another user wrote that Usher must be “going through a midlife crisis.”

In Usher’s original video, he used his viral “watch this” catchphrase to introduce the polarizing look. The remark went viral in 2022 after using it during his NPR Tiny Desk concert.

“I was blown away, I was shocked,” Usher told Twitter Music of the meme afterward. “I think I was in Los Angeles somewhere and they were like, ‘Yo, you know you going viral?’ I’m like, ‘It’s good, right?’”

He added: “Then I looked on and I saw a few people do it. Then I saw more people doing what I had done and it just kept going and kept going and I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. This is something special.’”

Outside of trolling Usher on social media, Lucas has been in the studio with Juelz Santana for his Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama. Santana teased the collaboration on Instagram, earlier this month.

“Santana and Joyner Lucas, I’m not even going to say no other names. OMG. We In Motion on the fucking way,” Santana said.

As for Usher, he hasn’t released a solo studio album since 2016’s Hard II Love. However, he did team up with Zaytoven in 2018 for A.

Check out Usher’s Instagram video that Joyner Lucas was responding to below.

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Megan Thee Stallion And Charlie Puth Combat Pests In The Latest Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Super Bowl Ad Teaser

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Last week, Megan Thee Stallion appeared in a Super Bowl ad teaser for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. It’s the latest brand that she’s partnered with, adding to a list that already included Fashion Nova and Revlon. The full commercial with Megan and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos will debut during the Super Bowl on February 13, but in the first ad teaser, Megan arrives at a video shoot where she is greeted with questions like if she has any pet allergies to cats or dogs. The list of animals grows to include deer, foxes, bears, water buffalo, and more, which signals that this video shoot will be anything but normal.

The weird events continue for Megan in the newly-released second ad teaser for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. It begins with the rapper walking and enjoying a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos when she arrives at her video shoot trailer. When she attempts to open the door, she realizes it’s locked — which is odd since it’s her own trailer. A mysterious claw then appears to remove Megan’s name from the door before they close and lock the door, leaving Megan absolutely confused at what just happened. However, it doesn’t stop there.

In another video, Charlie Puth is revealed as Megan’s co-star for the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos ad and he has his own peculiar events to deal with while on set at the video shoot. Puth returns to his own trailer to find Cheetos-stained paw prints all over the interior of the trailer. After a brief investigation, Puth discovers an orange feather inside the trailer which serves as helpful evidence towards who the suspect might be.

You can watch Megan and Charlie’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos teaser ads in the videos above.

Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.