Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have been ruling over late-night talk for a while now. Yet it the kings of late-night have some serious competition coming their way, but it’s from a celebrated Grammy-winning musician, not a fellow comedian. It’s been reported that ViacomCBS is courting rock superstar John Mayer to headline a new late-night series.
Grammy winner John Mayer is close to inking a deal with the CBS streaming platform Paramount Plus to host a performance-based late-night talk show, per Variety. The Mayer-headlined series would follow the same format as the long-running British talk show Later with Jools Holland. According to sources at ViacomCBS, the prospective series would reportedly be titled Later With John Mayer.
If the deal goes through, Later with John Mayer would run weekly on Paramount Plus. Within that deal, there would be a series of specials derived from the prospective series centered around performance segments, and these specials would air periodically on CBS. Another potential part of the deal is a series of Grammy Awards tie-ins with the potential late-night series.
ViacomCBS sources reported that Later with John Mayer is currently being pitched to potential broadcast partners. Much like its U.K. counterpart, the prospective late-night talk show would feature musical performances from today’s biggest acts, as the rocker chats with fellow musicians, actors and other pop culture figures. The set is said to resemble an after-hours club featuring musical artists.
But this potential late-night deal isn’t the first time CBS has pursued John Mayer. Over a decade ago, then CBS Entertainment head Nina Tassler was reportedly courting the singer to headline a potential series. At the time, it wasn’t clear what type of series the musician would’ve been a part of.
A late-night talk series headlined by John Mayer isn’t too farfetched. Since 2018, the Grammy-winning musician has been hosting an Instagram Live talk show Current Mood. Mayer has made many forays into the late-night sphere as a guest on shows such as Saturday Night Live and Chapelle's Show. In recent years, the singer served as guest host on The Late Late Show after Craig Ferguson’s exit.
As a John Mayer fan, I know it’s no secret that the multiple Grammy winner loves to talk and learn about other people’s experiences. Besides being a top-notch musician, Mayer is known for being an open book when it comes to his own personal life. While in recent years that might’ve toned down, he still loves to interact with others, made obvious by his Instagram series and booming TikTok following. So hosting a performance-based talk show isn’t outside of Mayer’s wheelhouse.
Imagining watching a late-night show with John Mayer chatting with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars while jamming with fellow music artists. I’m already excited by that idea, but only time will tell if Later with John Mayer becomes a reality.
