If you thought you knew who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, think again. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Times alleged that Richard Montañez—the man who says he dreamed up the spicy snack and has parlayed his story into a film set to be directed by Eva Longoria—did not actually invent the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.
According to the Times, Montañez—who began his career at Frito-Lay as a plant worker—has utilized his natural charisma and personality to spin his rags-to-riches tale into a lucrative second career. He’s been booked to speak at schools like Harvard and USC for $10,000 to $50,000 an appearance, written two memoirs, and will see his story turned into Longoria’s feature directorial debut: a film called Flamin’ Hot that’s scheduled to begin production this summer. But after being contacted by the Times, Frito-Lay told the paper that Montañez was not involved in the creation of this iconic snack.
“None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market,” Frito-Lay said in a statement to the Times. “We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market.”
About 20 years ago, Montañez began taking credit for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. He said he pitched his idea for the snack to “top executives” at a meeting in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with more than 100 people present. The Times, though, reportedly spoke with “20 people who worked at the Frito-Lay divisions responsible for new product development 32 years ago, when Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were first extruded into existence”—and none of them were able to verify Montañez’s story. Furthermore, the Times reports that the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto wasn’t invented in California or Frito-Lay headquarters in Texas, but was developed elsewhere, with inspiration for the product found in corner stores in places like Chicago and Detroit.
Per the Times, the rightful holder belongs to longtime executive Lynn Greenfield, another Frito-Lay employee. She first contacted Frito-Lay in 2018 after seeing that Montañez was taking credit for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, triggering an internal company investigation. “It is disappointing that 20 years later, someone who played no role in this project would begin to claim our experience as his own and then personally profit from it,” she told the Times.
Despite being made aware of questions surrounding the origins of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, the movie Flamin’ Hot has forged ahead. Deadline announced on May 4 that Quinceañera’s Jesse Garcia and Gentefied’s Annie Gonzalez are set to play Montañez and his wife, Judy, in the movie. And while the film may no longer be the inspiring tale based on a true story Longoria was expecting, there’s still plenty to work with. We can already picture a scene where Lynn corners Richard and says, “If you had invented the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, then you would have invented the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.”
Flamin’ Hot’s producers, Montañez, and the publishers of his latest book did not respond to the L.A. Times’s requests for comment.
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