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.
Run for the presidency 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. ==Awards==