Editing Cheetos (section)

=== Flamin' Hot Cheetos ===
{{see also|Richard Montañez|Flamin' Hot}}
[[File:Cheetos mascots.jpg|thumb|right|Young woman in a Flamin' Hot costume with [[Chester Cheetah]]]]
According to Frito-Lay records, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, a spicy version of the product, was developed at the company's headquarters in Texas starting in 1989, as part of a project led by Lynne Greenfeld, and introduced in test markets in the summer of 1990, alongside Flamin' Hot versions of Fritos and Lays.<ref name="lat-montanez">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez|title=The man who didn't invent Flamin' Hot Cheetos|author=Sam Dean|date=May 16, 2021|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516185042/https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez|url-status=live}}</ref> They became available nationwide in early 1992, and ''[[The Washington Post]]'' would go on to call them "something of a cultural phenomenon",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Andrews |first1=Travis M |title=The Flamin' Hot Cheetos movie: How a Frito-Lay janitor created one of America's most popular snacks |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/23/the-flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-how-a-frito-lay-janitor-created-one-of-americas-most-popular-snacks/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=19 September 2019 |archive-date=9 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909024207/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/23/the-flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-how-a-frito-lay-janitor-created-one-of-americas-most-popular-snacks/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with ''[[Newsweek]]'' noting that it "rejuvenated the brand" and would become a "central element in Cheetos marketing".<ref name="Newsweek flamin hot">{{cite web |last1=Whalen |first1=Andrew |title=THE TRUE STORY OF THE FLAMIN' HOT CHEETOS INVENTOR RICHARD MONTAÑEZ |url=https://www.newsweek.com/flamin-hot-cheeto-movie-true-story-creator-richard-montanez-1456377 |website=Newsweek |date=27 August 2019 |access-date=19 September 2019 |archive-date=16 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916214737/https://www.newsweek.com/flamin-hot-cheeto-movie-true-story-creator-richard-montanez-1456377 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Beginning in the late 2000s, [[Richard Montañez]], who had started his career at Frito-Lay as a plant janitor and later became a marketing director for the company, claimed that he had invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos in the early 1990s while still a janitor, observing that the brand did not have any products targeting [[Latinos]].<ref name="Hustlecheetos">{{cite web |last1=Crockett |first1=Zachary |title=How a janitor at Frito-Lay invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos |url=https://thehustle.co/hot-cheetos-inventor/ |website=The Hustle |date=29 November 2017 |access-date=19 September 2019 |archive-date=3 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203070259/https://thehustle.co/hot-cheetos-inventor/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Montañez claimed he had pitched his idea to CEO [[Roger Enrico]] as part of Enrico's initiative to empower employees to help the fledgeling company.<ref name="Hustlecheetos"/> In 2018, [[Searchlight Pictures|Fox Searchlight]] started developing a biopic about the origin story of Flamin' Hot Cheetos as told by Montañez.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kroll|first=Justin|date=February 22, 2018|title=Flamin' Hot Cheetos-Inspired Movie in Works From Fox Searchlight, DeVon Franklin (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-devon-franklin-fox-searchlight-1202707879/|url-status=live|access-date=March 29, 2021|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222231156/http://variety.com/2018/film/news/flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-devon-franklin-fox-searchlight-1202707879/ |archive-date=22 February 2018 }}</ref> It starred [[Jesse Garcia]] as Montañez and marked actress [[Eva Longoria]]'s feature directorial debut. [[Hulu]] and [[Disney+]] released the film, titled ''[[Flamin' Hot]]'', in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=August 27, 2019|title=Eva Longoria to Direct Biopic About Flamin' Hot Cheetos Creator|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-eva-longoria-1203314982/|url-status=live|access-date=March 29, 2021|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827013338/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/flamin-hot-cheetos-movie-eva-longoria-1203314982/ |archive-date=27 August 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/09/entertainment/flamin-hot-review/index.html|title=''Flamin{{'}} Hot'' tells a chips-to-riches story in Eva Longoria's feature directing debut|date=June 9, 2023|first=Brian|last=Lowry|website=[[CNN]]|access-date=June 9, 2023|archive-date=9 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609191102/https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/09/entertainment/flamin-hot-review/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2021, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that Frito-Lay had begun an internal investigation in 2018 following a complaint by Greenfeld. The company, which had not previously contradicted Montañez's story publicly, said of the results of that investigation: "None of our records show that Richard [Montañez] was involved in any capacity in the Flamin' Hot test market&nbsp;... we do not credit the creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or any Flamin' Hot products to him."<ref name="lat-montanez" /> Additional reporting by the ''Times'' indicated that Montañez's claims did not line up with other events in the product's release timeline, including newspaper articles announcing the test market release in 1990, and Enrico not joining Frito-Lay until later that year. However, the ''Times'' noted a 1993 ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' story indicating that Montañez ''was'' responsible for suggesting subsequent product ideas that built on the Flamin' Hot line, including Flamin' Hot Popcorn.<ref name="lat-montanez" />

Montañez has stood by his claims following the ''LA Times'' investigation, arguing that there was a lack of documentation because of the low level of his job at the time, but adding that he was not aware of what might have been going on in other divisions of the company, and thus he did not have reason to dispute Greenfeld's accounts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/richard-montanez-flamin-hot-cheetos-responds-1234974227/|title=Disputed Flamin' Hot Cheetos Inventor Responds to Frito-Lay's Claims: 'I Was Their Greatest Ambassador'|first=Ellise|last=Shaffer|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 16, 2021|access-date=May 19, 2021|archive-date=19 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519140557/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/richard-montanez-flamin-hot-cheetos-responds-1234974227/|url-status=live}}</ref>