Channing Tatum Will 'Definitely' Cameo in "Magic Mike Live"'s N.Y.C. Show: 'I'm Gonna Pop Out and Show Out' (Exclusive) Dave QuinnJanuary 27, 2026 at 4:20 AM 0 Channing Tatum at a press event for 'Magic Mike Live' in New York City on Jan. 20, 2026 Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Channing Tatum tells PEOPLE he plans to make surprise appearances in Magic Mike Live's New York City production this fall Inspired by the Magic Mike films, the show features dance, acrobatics, comedy, and themes of female empowerment.
- - Channing Tatum Will 'Definitely' Cameo in "Magic Mike Live"'s N.Y.C. Show: 'I'm Gonna Pop Out and Show Out' (Exclusive)
Dave QuinnJanuary 27, 2026 at 4:20 AM
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Channing Tatum at a press event for 'Magic Mike Live' in New York City on Jan. 20, 2026
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty
Channing Tatum tells PEOPLE he plans to make surprise appearances in Magic Mike Live's New York City production this fall
Inspired by the Magic Mike films, the show features dance, acrobatics, comedy, and themes of female empowerment.
All will take place at a custom-built venue near Times Square that will include lounges, making it a full-night-out destination for guests
Channing Tatum says New York City audiences should expect the unexpected when Magic Mike Live opens its new custom-built venue near Times Square this fall — including the very real possibility of the star himself stepping onstage.
Asked by PEOPLE at a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 20 whether fans might see him step back into his stripper shoes for the show, Tatum revealed he's planning on it.
"I won't advertise it, I'll tell you that. It'll just happen," Tatum says. "I'm definitely not gonna be like, 'I'm going on tonight, guys! Everybody show up!' I'm just gonna pop out and show out."
"That'll be really rad," he added. "I definitely will pop up and show out at some point."
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In fact, performing is Magic Mike Live — which has long-running residencies in Las Vegas, London, Berlin and Sydney — is something Tatum has been hoping to do for a long time.
"We have a water routine that we're very, very proud of, and I knew when we created it, I was like, 'There's no version of me not doing this at some point,' " Tatum says. "And I learned it and I was gonna do it in Vegas. And I went to go and rehearse it, and then for reasons I won't get into it, it didn't happen. So I'm still waiting to get my chance to go on stage in my own show. ... because it's a really good routine!"
For Tatum, New York's energy makes the city uniquely suited to surprise appearances — not just from him, but from all kinds of collaborators as well.
"That's what I love about New York. ... There's so many cool people that are just always in the city. I wanna create a show that we can sort of do a version where if anybody that is a friend or just wants to be a part of the show can come out and do something and be a part of the show at some point, have these little pop-ups," he continues.
Channing Tatum (center) in 'Magic Mike'
Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Magic Mike Live, created and directed by Tatum, begins performances Oct. 8, with an official opening night set for Oct. 22.
The immersive, 360-degree show, 90-minute show — inspired by the Magic Mike film franchise, which in turn is based on Tatum's own background — blends world-class dance, athleticism, acrobatics, comedy and music, all grounded in themes of confidence, celebration and female empowerment.
"I've been to the other shows, and that's kind of why we wanted to make this show, because we wanted to empower women and we wanted them to feel good when they left," Tatum, 45, told the press on Tuesday.
"Look, you're going to get what you've come for. You are going to see naked men dancing, that's just what's going to happen; and hopefully they're going to be on top of you at some point,"Tatum added. "But there's just so much more that's embedding into the show."
Channing Tatum (center) with the cast of 'Magic Mike Live' at a press event for the show on Jan. 20, 2026 in New York City
Michael Loccisano/Getty
The show follows "Mike" who, as co-director and choreographer Alison Faulk explained, learns about women through a series of lessons until the end of the show when he emerges as "a full-realized version of himself."
"Weirdly, the reaction that I've got that I'm most proud of is when someone comes to the show and is like, 'I did not want to go, it's not my thing.' And they leave just feeling so relieved that it wasn't bad, that they had so much fun that they didn't expect to have," Tatums said. "And they just got brought into it all in a really safe way."
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Channing Tatum (center) with the cast of 'Magic Mike Live' in New York City on Jan. 20, 2026
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Leading the show is Sebastian Melo Taivera as "Mike," alongside an ensemble that includes Charles Bartley, Kayla Brenda, Nate Bryan, Daniel Blessing, John Carlos Cabrera, Jayson Collantes, Shane Davis, Alexandre Deakin, Sebastian Gonzalez, Jhan Mena, Casey Sheehan, Ellena Takos, Marcus Vrondas and Josh Williams.
"Our boys, they're really special," Tatum says. "We go through a serious and stringent casting process. We interview then and one of the first questions that we ask is, 'What is your relationship with your mother?" And it's oddly very important. How they view women, what's their connection to them. Every single one of our guys is such a good human first, and they are sort of unicorns as far as dancers and performers."
"It's not that easy to give a lap dance," he adds. "It sounds so stupid. But to enter someone's space is awkward. And you either kind of have it, or you don't. And we have found all the men who are good at it."
The immersive 360-degree show will run in a newly renovated, custom-built venue at 268 W. 47th St., the former home of the Copacabana just one block from Times Square.
Beyond the stage, the space will feature two second-floor lounges — including Greenlight, a new cocktail and dining space created in collaboration with Authentic Hospitality, the team behind Pebble Bar, Jac's on Bond and Ray's. Both will be open nightly for pre- and post-show revelry, even for guests not attending the performance.
That positions Magic Mike Live as a full-night-out destination, fusing live entertainment with nightlife and hospitality.
"We've been around the world and we've learned a lot," Tatum says. "We hope to be here as long as The Lion King."
Tickets for Magic Mike Live in New York City are now on sale
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 26, 2026 at 10:36PM on Source: RED MAG
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