The former Jim Henson Company lot is no longer up for sale: John Mayer and filmmaker McG completed its purchase for a reported $44 million, according to the Los Angeles Times on January 2, 2026. The buyers renamed the Hollywood property Chaplin Studios. The deal was for the studio lot—not The Jim Henson Company, which is now based at Radford Studio Center in Studio City.
Who bought the former Jim Henson studio lot?
The reported buyers are musician John Mayer and filmmaker McG, whose full name is Joseph McGinty Nichol. The Los Angeles Times reported that the purchase was finalized and that the buyers chose the name Chaplin Studios in honor of Charlie Chaplin, who broke ground on the property more than a century ago.
The lot’s history also includes its use as A&M Studios before it became known as the Jim Henson Company Lot. Its new reported name reflects the property’s earlier Chaplin connection.
How much did they pay?
The Los Angeles Times reported a finalized purchase price of $44 million. That is the newspaper’s reported figure, not a price independently confirmed here against a recorded deed. Earlier coverage in November 2024 described a pending agreement at around or above $40 million; the later account is the source for the finalized-sale figure.
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Was The Jim Henson Company sold?
No. The transaction concerned the Hollywood real-estate property, not the operating company. The Jim Henson Company’s listed location is Radford Studio Center in Studio City.
That distinction also puts an October 2024 rumor in context. At the time, a Henson family spokesperson denied that the Church of Scientology was a prospective buyer and said the family was not then in escrow with any buyer. That statement described the situation in October 2024; it does not conflict with the later reported Mayer–McG purchase.
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What do the new owners plan for the property?
The Los Angeles Times reported that Mayer and McG planned to invest $9 million in improvements and did not intend significant structural or stylistic changes. The report also said studio staff and artists who maintained offices or studios there would stay. Those are reported plans and arrangements, not confirmation that all improvements have been completed or that staffing has remained unchanged since the report.
Mayer described the property as “adult day care,” according to the newspaper. The phrase was his characterization of the studio environment, not a description of the transaction’s terms.
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