Cubs PA announcer Jeremiah Paprocki has a bold new gig: A late-night talk show

Jeremiah Paprocki’s lifelong fascination with sports broadcasting led him to become the youngest announcer — and the first Black announcer — in Chicago Cubs history. Now “the Voice of Wrigley Field” has a new side gig: hosting a late-night talk show on YouTube.

“Late Nights in Chicago” will tape its first episode at the Studebaker Theater on March 24 and feature special guest Shermann “Dilla” Thomas and a musical performance by Matt Muse. Paprocki told WBEZ’s sister station Vocalo that, while he’s still in the planning process for future episodes, he hopes it will be the first of an ongoing series of shows to tape at Moonlight Studios in the West Loop.

The show will be distributed via the online platform will largely be an independent venture — for now.

“I think it’d be cool if we can get to a point where it’s just an independent production and it’s fully sustainable off of investors, investments and sponsorships, and, you know, keep it running that way.”

Paprocki, who is 24, found a passion for sports announcing while in high school, lending his voice to school events and sports teams before becoming the Cubs’ announcer three years ago. Similarly, he found his calling for late-night television early on when he saw a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” taping while on spring break in 2019.

“I was blown away by that experience because, as a live studio audience member, you get to see everything that goes on behind the scenes. You see the executive producer behind the booth, you see all the cameramen behind the cameras,” Paprocki said. “I actually tried out an earlier version of this show at UIC called “Late Night Flame,” and that was a cool experience. We teamed up with our creative and digital services team over at UIC to put it together.”

The problem was, the show launched in 2020 right before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Late Night Flame” only lasted three episodes before COVID lockdowns began, but Paprocki took a lot away from the experience, including a working relationship with producer and collaborator Caleb Brookman.

“I sat down with Caleb early 2023, and I was like, ‘Hey, let’s do this again,’ ” Paprocki recalled. “Let’s do it on a bigger scale in Chicago for Chicago, but compete with those big late-night networks that are on TV.”

As a Chicago native, Paprocki grew up captivated by the city’s sports teams and took a special interest in the announcers for the Chicago Bulls. Inspired at the thought of pursuing sports announcing as a career, he auditioned for the Cubs while still a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He announced his first game, Cubs v. Nationals, on May 17, 2021, at just 21 years old.

“Knowing that I put in the work early starting in high school and then at college, and getting a pro job while still in college is very much so unheard of,” Paprocki said. “I was very overjoyed by that … A positive story, especially a local positive story, definitely carried a lot.”

With “Late Nights in Chicago,” Paprocki and his team hope to showcase Chicago by highlighting the city’s diverse culture and talent. The show will include a mix of entertainment, humor and insightful conversations from guests.

If you go: Tickets for the first taping of “Late Nights in Chicago” on March 24 start at $24.50, at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan. Subsequent tapings will be held at Moonlight studios. You can watch taped episodes of “Late Nights in Chicago” on YouTube.