The Big Picture

Joel McHale’s collaboration with Rice-A-Roni introduces the innovative Mac-A-Roni with Creamy Cheddar and Creamy White Cheddar flavors.
The Fox baking competition,
Crime Scene Kitchen
, provides unique challenges that influence McHale’s approach to cooking.
McHale jokes about his guest-starring role in
Yellowjackets
Season 3 and hints at a potential
The Bear
spinoff. But, we don’t think it’ll happen…

Known for his sharp wit and keen observations, Joel McHale has become a beloved staple in pop culture and perhaps, one of the most cherished voices in the realm. Best known for his incisive commentary on E!’s The Soup and the cult classic series Community, you could say the actor and comedian is a connoisseur of all things good on TV. But as of lately, the 52-year-old is proving he’s got a lot more layers to him than audiences initially believed. Causing fans to do a double-take following his deeply cold and sharp portrayal of “mean chef” David Fields on The Bear, McHale’s next gig is Yellowjackets, which proves he’s more than just Jeff Winger or the guy who took hilariously warranted shots at reality TV stars and bad TV shows (we still think about you, Viva Laughlin).

But before he gets to it, the actor is discussing his latest role as host of the returning favorite Crime Scene Kitchen on Fox and a fun, exciting collaboration with Rice-A-Roni for their newest innovation, Mac-A-Roni. Always ready to comment on the intersection of food with popular culture through iconic brands, McHale is eager to have fans take part in the live event that introduces them to a new staple, just in time for the holidays.

Joel McHale’s Newest Collaboration Is More Than Just Cheesy
Meet Joel this Thursday in New York for the Rice-A-Roni event.

While plenty of brands are releasing new seasonal and festive offerings this year, the makers of Rice-A-Roni are serving up a different kind of innovation. The iconic company is releasing its new Mac-A-Roni that is unlike any other macaroni and cheese box you’ve eaten before. Creating two creamy, cheesy mac and cheese flavors that taste like restaurant style was a collaboration McHale admits was an easy sell. “When they came to me, I was like, you are asking the right guy, Rice-A-Roni! I grew up eating tons of Rice-A-Roni, and then, you know, now they’re launching Mac-A-Roni, which I have eaten a lot of, and given it to my family. They’re like ‘More!’ and so it becomes like Oliver!” McHale says. “When they asked me, I was like — you have no idea how excited I am. They named me their Chief Macaroni Officer.”

The campaign for Mac-A-Roni included a TED Talk parody that involved McHale wearing a snug red turtleneck while ushering in the new Rice-A-Roni revolution. But between the Creamy Cheddar and Creamy White Cheddar flavors, don’t let McHale pick a favorite. “I like them both,” he says. “I made steak two nights ago, and we made the Creamy White Cheddar alongside, and it was great. You know when you go to a steakhouse, and you see the sides, there’s always usually like a lobster macaroni or something like that? So, this is like making your own side dish… it’s also very quick and, because as you know, I don’t run around at all doing this and that, so it’s very quick. For the amount of labor that you put in to make it, the payoff is about 1000%.”

While McHale has already gone through cases of it and his teenage children adore it, the actor and comedian is helping commemorate the launch by heading to New York City for the Mac-A-Roni Experience — a half-showroom, half-tasting-room free pop-up event offering a chance to try Mac-A-Roni and meet the foodie. “It’s going to be in SoHo and it’s open to the public,” McHale says of the day-long experience that he admits is perfect for this cozy fall weather. “Please come by and try Rice-A-Roni’s macaroni — I’ll be there… and who doesn’t like pasta?” For those looking to attend the event on September 26, check out the information below or visit Frito-Lay for more.

Event Details Location 42 Grand Street, Manhattan, New York City Date Thursday, September 26 Time 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EDT (line cutoff at 5:00 p.m. or while supplies last) Admission Free, first-come, first-serve basis; all ages. Attractions Meet Joel McHale, complimentary Mac-A-Roni samples (while supplies last), meet content creators and see the Mac-A-Roni Accessory Wall

How ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’ Is More Challenging in Season 3
The Fox baking competition is leaning into some fun, creative choices this season.

Premiering Thursday night over at Fox, McHale is back for another round of baked treats and culinary mystery in Crime Scene Kitchen Season 3. But coming off the event on the same day, one has to ask: How does a show like this influence his approach to cooking with something like Rice-A-Roni’s Mac-A-Roni? For McHale, it’s not without its fair share of challenges. “Some of those desserts, they are days in the making and the brain power it takes — some of the elaborate cake recipes like the opera cake, ‘Kids, I’m just going to whip up an opera cake!’ [But] that would be near impossible, given the time constraints,” he says. “This is such a quick thing to make. If they had to make a Rice-A-Roni Mac-A-Roni on Crime Scene Kitchen, yeah we’d be done; they wouldn’t need four hours of baking time, and we’d be very satisfied.”

Given his presence on Instagram, particularly the Stories in which he shares multiple posts about different grilled meats and pasta, and sometimes desserts, McHale admits he loves it all. “If it’s good, it’s just really good. And we’ve seen on Crime Scene [Kitchen] some real disasters and the poor people, then you feel terrible for them,” McHale says. “Then they’ll be ones that are unbelievable, and then I’ll hug them, and I’ll hug Curtis and Yolanda. It’s incredible what they can pull off.”

McHale teases that this season is all about new challenges and offers kudos to the showrunners and creators for being so creative with the obstacles they’ve placed ahead of the contestants. “I don’t know how — they are geniuses when they come up with these challenges and how to figure out or not figure out what we’re making.” The series host goes on to share how Season 3 also picks up on last season’s savory baked good twist, which he teases will be delved into again.

Joel McHale Speaks Out About His ‘Yellowjackets’ Appearance
His character’s name is oddly familiar…
Image via Showtime 

Another exciting project coming up for McHale is his guest-starring role in Yellowjackets Season 3. No exact details of his character have been revealed by Showtime just yet, but the actor gave Collider the scoop — sort of. “Well, I play a fast-talking lawyer, who brings together a study group at a community college,” he says before laughing and sharing that the character’s name is also Jeff Winger. “You know, I’ve never done anything like that, so that’s very exciting.”

McHale pauses for a second before sharing he’s not sure what to tell people when they ask about his mysterious addition to the show. “I was thinking about how I would tell people and there’s not a lot I can say without spoiling what I’m doing, ‘cause soon as I say what I’m doing, then it’ll say what I’m doing. How’s that for a concise interview answer? — other than I’m very excited to be on it.”

There hasn’t been a premiere date announced just yet for Season 3 of the popular series, currently in production. But it is expected to return in the first half of 2025.

Joel McHale Wants a ‘Bear’ Spinoff for His “Mean Chef”
McHale touches on the “impostor syndrome” he faced in the Season 3 finale.
Image via FX

When you think of the best performances to come out of the 2024 TV season, McHale’s portrayal of chef David Fields in The Bear is high up there. Tormenting Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy through traumatic flashbacks across the show’s three seasons, McHale’s haunting character has even given audiences a reason to hate the “mean chef.” While the actor joked with GQ that he brought his “God-given talent” for playing assholes to the series, he tells Collider his character isn’t actually all that bad.

“I feel like I’m the protagonist of that show. I feel like I’m the most likable character on the show,” he jokes before saying how filming the series was a lot of fun, especially the Season 3 finale, which included just about every high-profile chef there is. “There were so many fine dining chefs that I thought, ‘Man, if this building explodes, we’re gonna lose more than half of the fine dining chefs in America right now!’ And then Olivia Colman was there too; the queen was there. My impostor syndrome really kicked in, and I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’”

Praising showrunner Chris Storer and his on-screen co-star, White, McHale admits he was “very fortunate” to be in the show. “When it started, two seasons — two and a half years ago? I was in that first episode, and it was just this like, ‘Who knows?’ Like, so many things were like, ‘Meh, maybe.’ [But] it was really fun. ‘Maybe this will work. Maybe it won’t, but it was really fun making it.’”

He admits when the Governor of Illinois began visiting the set, McHale deemed it a “good sign” of a successful show. Ensuring he was at the top of his game to match the series’ tone, McHale admits that with the culture of chefs exposed for quite some years between “really great ones that treat their people great” and the “pretty well-publicized monsters,” he made it his job to study them. “I read a bunch about that and watched a couple of interviews and — also the writing is so good that I just made sure I didn’t screw up the scene,” he interrupts himself with a laugh, “and say the wrong thing and the writing is just so good that it leads you to the path; it walks you down the roadmap of where you’re supposed to be going.”

Adding how Storer being so “dialed into the culture of chefs and fine dining” elevates the series to prestige levels, McHale continues to praise his “genius” and commends the showrunner for making his job “very easy” at the end of the day. Naturally, being the jokester that he is, McHale has parting words for fans of The Bear — or just chef David Fields: “Oh, I have a spinoff coming. The real hero.”

Crime Scene Kitchen premieres September 26 at 9 p.m. EST on Fox. Stream all seasons on Hulu in the U.S.

Stream on Hulu