Is “Hot Saucing” Child Abuse? The Debate Gets Spicy on the Show

The question came up on the Bobby Bones Show: is “hot saucing” a form of child abuse?

For those unfamiliar, “hot saucing” is a controversial discipline method where parents put a few drops of hot sauce on a child’s tongue as punishment. Supporters say it’s a quick, memorable consequence that stops misbehavior without harsher physical punishments. Critics argue it’s cruel and unnecessary.

The debate quickly heated up in the studio:

• Bobby was firmly against it, saying it’s physical punishment and he wouldn’t use it on a child.
• Eddie wasn’t so sure, pointing out that he makes his kids do push-ups as a consequence, which is also physical. He leaned toward thinking hot saucing might be acceptable, at least no worse than a “pop” or spanking.
• Amy raised concerns about kids’ varying pain tolerances, possible stomach issues, and whether it’s really any different from soap in the mouth (something some of them experienced as kids).

When asked to rank punishments from worst to least harsh, the group didn’t agree:

• Some said soap in the mouth was the worst, followed by hot sauce, with spanking or popping as the mildest.
• Others argued spanking is actually the harshest, with soap and hot sauce falling below it.

The conversation even turned playful, with the idea of testing it out on the show, hot sauce, soap, and even spankings, to see what the punishments actually feel like.

In the end, no one fully agreed. Some see hot saucing as just another form of physical discipline, while others think it crosses the line.