Background and career
Jaime Bayly Letts (Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxajme ˈβejli lets]) (born February 19, 1965) is a Peruvian writer, journalist, and television personality. He has won Emmy Award and two of his books have been adapted into international movies. He also won the Premio Herralde in 1997 for his novel La Noche es Virgen, a major literary award in the world of Spanish literature that has been granted to writers such as Roberto Bolaño, Mariana Enriquez, and Enrique Vila-Matas.
Bayly was born to an upper-class Peruvian family in Lima. He was the first son and the third of eleven children of Jaime Bayly Llona and his wife, Doris Letts Colmenares. He is the nephew of Walter Bayly Llona, CEO of Credicorp. He studied at Markham College, a British private school in Lima, and later at Colegio San Agustín of Lima. In his youth, he was convinced by his mother to work at the daily newspaper La Prensa of Lima in order to become more responsible through a part-time job. In 1982, he was accepted to the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. After studying for four years, he had to leave the university, as he could not pass a mandatory subject.
His first television appearance was in 1983 during Peru's municipal elections, interviewing candidates and politicians. Later on, he began a career as a late show host interviewing celebrities. Bayly's first late-night show, 1990 en America, got the attention of TV audiences and critics. The following year he hosted a copy of David Letterman's Late Show called ¿Qué hay de nuevo?. During the 1990s Bayly hosted late-night shows in the United States at CBS Telenoticias Network Latin America and Telemundo for six years. After President of Peru Alberto Fujimori sought asylum in Japan in 2001 following a ten-year term in order to avoid prosecution on charges of corruption, independent news media found itself in a better position. Bayly was able to host political program El Francotirador ("The Sniper"), interviewing candidates to the 2001 presidential election. In that program, he apparently offended several personalities with his political opinions, and finally had to quit. Inspired by the experience, Bayly wrote a book, taking the title from the show. Later he resumed the program. In 2006, he supported right-wing Lourdes Flores for presidency. In 2010, Bayly announced he intended to run for president in the 2011 Peruvian general election to succeed Alan García. Later that year, he supported leftist candidate Susana Villaran in her successful campaign to become mayor of Lima. As a consequence, broadcasting company Frecuencia Latina cancelled his show. On his U.S. program which airs on the Miami-based MegaTV channel, Bayly is well known for his views which have included sharp criticism of the Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
Bayly returned to Peru in July 2013 for an interview hosted by Jaime de Althaus in his program of Channel N (8). In the interview, he made a statement that he will run for the presidency under the banner of the party Popular Action. In 2011, he intended to run under various parties like the Christian People's Party.
Suncoast Regional EMMY® - On Camera Talent – Commentator/Editorialist - 2008 - (Bayly) - Winner GLAAD Media Visibilidad - 2007 Planeta de Novela - 2005 - (Y De Repente Un Angel) - Runner-up Herralde de Novela - 1997 - (La Noche Es Virgen) - Winner
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
