Longtime "Good Day Philadelphia" co-host and frequent loose cannon Mike Jerrick is expanding his FOX29 duties to include a new late night show set to debut Sept. 8.
Jerrick, 75, will host a half-hour show called "Mike" that airs weeknights at 11:30 p.m. — right after the local news — and streams the next day on FOX Local, the station announced Wednesday. Jerrick will also continue on "Good Day Philadelphia."
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"Douglas, Carson, Paar, Letterman, Leno, and now, Jerrick!" Tom Louden, FOX29's director of local original programming, said in a statement. "'MIKE' will remind viewers why this format has been successful since the earliest days of television – because it is the perfect way to end each day with a laugh. And with Mike Jerrick at the helm, there's no telling what will happen next!"
Jerrick's show will have a mix of monologues, celebrity guests, musical performances, skits and stand-up comedy, the station said. The announcement promises Jerrick's "signature humor and charm," which most recently garnered national attention in February when Jerrick and "Good Day Philadelphia" co-host Alex Holley went to New Orleans to cover the Eagles' Super Bowl run.
From the looks of it, Jerrick's reputation may attract some big names. The show's first guest will be actor Cillian Murphy, who won an Oscar last year for his performance in "Oppenheimer" and starred in the British historical crime drama "Peaky Blinders."
Jerrick's sidekick will be FOX29 Executive Producer Vince DeFruscio, who's shown with Jerrick in a trailer for the new show.
Jerrick has had a long career with FOX, including his first stint on "Good Day Philadelphia" from 1999-2002. He co-hosted a nationally syndicated morning show on FOX and was a weekend co-host of "FOX and Friends" before he returned to FOX29 in 2009 to co-host "Good Day Philadelphia" again. At other points in his career, Jerrick has had roles at CNBC, USA Network's Sci-Fi Channel and local new stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Jerrick is known for pushing the envelope with his humor on "Good Day Philadelphia," sometimes blurting out anything that enters his mind and throwing himself into provocative segments that draw ratings.
Highlights over the years have included Jerrick guzzling crickets from a jar with Dr. Oz, getting suspended for saying on air that Kellyanne Conway is "good at bull****" and being chided by "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver for showing a lascivious streak on International Women's Day. Holley plays off Jerrick's madcap energy by acting as the voice of restraint and occasional reproach.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, FOX29 gave Holley and "Good Day Philadelphia" contributor Thomas Drayton the 11:30 p.m. broadcast for a show called "The Feed AT Night." That series debuted in early 2021, offering daily roundups of trending topics on social media, and ended in 2022. In more recent years, the station has used that slot for a sports talk show hosted by Breland Moore and Jason Martinez.
FOX29's decision to add a late night show comes after CBS announced it plans to end "The Late Night Show," hosted by Stephen Colbert, at the end of May. Paramount, which owns CBS, called the decision "purely financial." The show reportedly was losing $40 million per year. Paramount denied accusations that it sought to court favor with the Federal Communications Commissions, which approved its merger with Skydance Media shortly afterward. Colbert has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.