Jessica Mauboy isn’t afraid to take on a new challenge. After flipping her personal life on its head with the birth of her first child in January 2025, the acclaimed singer-songwriter made some huge career changes just a few months later by parting ways with Warner Music Australia and launching her own independent record label, Jamally.
Now, she’s taking on what she describes as her most important venture yet: hosting the ABC’s First Nations variety special, That Blackfella Show, as part of NAIDOC Week. The show has been described as Australia’s answer to Saturday Night Live with a mix of sketch comedy and live studio performances, and will see Jess take on a hosting gig for the very first time in her career. Honestly, what can’t this woman do?
The “Give Me Love” hitmaker told PEDESTRIAN.TV that she was an enormous fan of the variety special when it debuted last year, describing it as a “dream” for First Nations people to celebrate and showcase their culture on a national platform. However, despite her decades of experience in the spotlight, she felt an enormous amount of imposter syndrome when asked to host the show herself.
“It was almost like my inner child just kind of started going, ‘Oh my gosh Jess, you’re good at this’, but then my alter ego was like, ‘Stick to singing’,” she recalled.
“These two sides of me were going to battle with each other, but I just knew the importance of this role… and taking on this role, I was like, oh my gosh, I’m gonna see little Jess again.”
The importance of That Blackfella Show
Speaking with P.TV about That Blackfella Show brought tears to Jess’ eyes, not only because the opportunity allowed her to connect with her younger self, but also because of what the program means for her community.
“When you think about the history of First Nations people, the platforms that we were given back then, we had elders, and we had people who were fighting underneath all of that amazingness that was happening,” she said.
“There were so many people activating language and culture and keeping it alive, and so that’s what this show is. It’s really serving those elders, those people still fighting, even through the good and the bad, and showing up when things haven’t been fairly put in the right place.”
@abcindigenous WE’RE BACK BABY ✨️🖤 That Blackfella Show is back in celebration of NAIDOC Week, featuring some of Australia’s amazing first nations talent ft hosts Jess Mauboy and Ian Zaro. That Blackfella Show – Watch on ABC iview or ABC TV, 9:10pm Wednesday 8th of July, 2026.
♬ original sound – ABC Indigenous
She added that, out of everything she’s achieved in her career — from Australian Idol and The Voice to her film performances and nationwide tours — That Blackfella Show is at the top of her highlights list.
“I sat there after the first script read, and I just thought, I think this is literally the best thing I’ve ever been able to be a part of and create’,” she gushed.
“I was up there thinking about my community, about Darwin, about my mum and my dad, about all my siblings and the extension of that — like, the people who saw me take the step first of doing music, and then even before that, just who I am in that environment.”
While That Blackfella Show is currently just an annual variety program for NAIDOC Week, Jess is hopeful that it could get a full series run in the near future.
“Having so many wonderful, incredible talents involved to make this come to life — the sketches, the cheekiness, the humour — is what gave hope. So to be continued is how we want to leave it,” she said.
That Blackfella Show airs Wednesday, 8 July, at 9.10pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
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