Rock and roll fans unite Jimmy Kimmel is now working on an all-new mockumentary starring ’80s Huey Lewis himself. Kimmel’s upcoming half-hour series, entitled Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis, will highlight the life of legendary Huey Lewis. Whatever Happened to Huey Lewiswill star Lewis as a fictionalized version of himself (via Deadline). The special will be shot with just a single camera and is currently in development at Fox Entertainment Studios, with the mockumentary set to be styled as a sitcom.
The all-new mockumentary will tell the story of how Huey Lewis navigated his music career after tragically losing his hearing in 2018 due to Meniere’s disease. As Lewis explains it in American Songwriter:
“I have a thing they called Ménière’s disease. But it’s not really a disease, it’s a syndrome based on symptoms and they really don’t know what it is. I’ve been everywhere, and it just sort of happens. You get vertigo and you lose your hearing, but what are you gonna do?”
Related
John Mulaney and Jimmy Kimmel Both Turned Down Hosting the 2025 Oscars
Jimmy Kimmel has hosted the Oscars four times while John Mulaney emerged as a favorite after presenting at the ceremony earlier this year.
With the love and support of his family and fellow musicians, Huey tackles his career with his signature song “Heart and Soul”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 8. Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis’s combination of comedy, drama, and music will be refreshing for any music lover looking to learn more about the history of Huey Lewis & The News.
Written and produced by Kirker Butler, the mockumentary was partly inspired by an hour-long anthology series of Huey Lewis’s musical journey. The anthology series has been in production with Fox since 2021. Aside from that, Kimmel and Lewis have been longtime friends, and among other things, fly-fishing buddies, making the talk show host, comedian, and Emmy winner the perfect person to bring Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis to life.
The Resilient Journey of Huey Lewis & The News
Huey Lewis’s journey has led him to rise to become a Grammy Award-winning artist. His band, Huey Lewis & The News has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has garnered several Top 10 singles. A few of his hits include “The Heart of Rock & Roll”, “I Want a New Drug”, and “Power of Love.” The latter, which was famoulsy used in the film Back to the Future (1985), was nominated for an Oscar.
Shortly after Lewis lost his hearing, the band released its first album in nearly two decades, entitled Weather (2020). Just this past year, the hit musical The Heart of Rock and Roll, had a successful Broadway run. The performance outlined several decades of the band’s music. Lewis has garnered many acting credits throughout his career as well, including portraying Billy Flynn in the Broadway musical Chicago. He also held a recurring role in the sitcom Hot in Cleveland.
Fans will surely have high hopes for the comedic rock mockumentary, as it will be produced by Kimmel and Kimmelot, who are behind the Emmy Award-winning franchise Live in Front of a Studio Audience. The special will be repped by attorney Andy Galker and managed by James Dixon. Kaplan executive producers will also be overlooking the project. Kirker Butler, a former Kaplan client, is a writer and producer on Seth MacFarlane’s comedy series Ted, which airs on Peacock, with the prominent writer and producer having also worked on hit television series like Family Guy, Only Murders in the Building, and Life in Pieces.
Here’s hoping that, with such a comedic pedigree and Lewis’ involvement, Jimmy Kimmel can craft a project worthy of the musician’s legacy.