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Famed rock star John Mayer has joined an investment group that is making a $60 million bid to purchase The Jim Henson Lot in Los Angeles, California, the home of the Muppets. According to reports, Mayer has teamed up with filmmaker McG (real name Joseph McGinty Nichol, known for his films Charlie’s Angels, We Are Marshall, Terminator Salvation, This Means War, The Babysitter, and more) to buy the iconic studio home.
The purchase of the Jim Henson Lot by John Mayer and McG is a particularly notable development as previous reports indicated that the historic Hollywood lot was set to be purchased by the Church of Scientology.
While it’s unclear whether the prospect of the Scientology purchasing the property had any influence on Mayer’s decision, the 47-year-old rocker reportedly has an office on the property.
It’s a dramatic reversal from the fate the property seemed destined to face. In recent weeks, the storied property — formerly A&M Studios and earlier Charlie Chaplin Studios — had been the subject of speculation that the Church of Scientology, already a major landlord in the area, was closing in on a bid. When the clock ran out, Mayer, who has offices on the historic property, made his move. The deal is said to be in the $60 million range.
Previously serving as the home to Charlie Chaplin Studios from 1917 to 1953, the property became the headquarters of the Jim Henson Company in the year 2000.
In June 2024, the Jim Henson Company announced that they were exploring a sale of the iconic lot, saying in a statement that the decision is “part of a much longer-term strategy to have The Jim Henson Company and our renowned Burbank-based Jim Henson’s Creature Shop under one roof, which is not feasible in Hollywood due to the space the Shop requires.”
The Jim Henson Company, known for its creation of Kermit of the Frog and the other Muppets characters, was founded in 1958 by Jim Henson and his wife Jane. In addition to their iconic puppeteering children’s shows, the Hensons also produced films such as The Muppet Movie (1979), The Dark Crystal (1982), Labyrinth (1986), The Witches (1990), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), and Muppets from Space (1999).