Byron Allen Takes Over CBS Late Night Slot with Comics Unleashed

Byron Allen is stepping into a coveted late-night television slot on CBS as “Comics Unleashed,” his long-running comedy series, begins airing at 11:35 p.m. ET starting Friday. The move follows CBS’s decision to retire “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which aired its final episode Thursday. Allen’s show will now air two back-to-back episodes Monday through Friday, while another of his productions, the game show “Funny You Should Ask,” will move to the 12:37 a.m. ET slot.

CBS announced the cancellation of “The Late Show” in July, citing financial challenges in the late-night landscape. Allen, a media mogul and former stand-up comedian, offered to fill the time slot at no cost to the network, which was already airing his content during late-night hours. “At the end of the day, you’re throwing me an audience at 1:30 in the morning to my CBS affiliates that I own around the country,” Allen said on “CBS Mornings.” “I said, ‘save your money.'”

Allen described the opportunity as a “business opportunity” and revealed that he leases the hour and sells the advertising inventory himself. While he did not disclose the exact financial terms, he indicated he is investing significantly in the deal. “I am a gift from the money gods and the comedy gods,” he said.

A lifelong fan of late-night television, Allen’s passion began in childhood when his mother, an NBC employee, took him to the Burbank lot where he watched Johnny Carson perform. He made his stand-up debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” at age 18. “From the moment I saw Johnny Carson, 51 years ago, I said, ‘this is what I’m going to do with my life: make people laugh,'” Allen said.

Allen emphasized that his show will avoid politics, focusing instead on comedy that brings people together. “You come, you laugh,” he said.

Beyond late-night TV, Allen has built a substantial media empire. He founded Allen Media Group in 1993, which owns channels like Pets.TV and Cars.TV, and acquired The Weather Channel’s parent company in 2018. Recently, he purchased a controlling stake in BuzzFeed, the digital media company known for viral content. Allen plans to maintain BuzzFeed’s existing foundation while expanding its reach through ad-supported streaming on his platform Local Now. “‘Free’ is the world’s favorite word,” he said. “The two best words in media: ‘free’ and ‘streaming’ … bring it together and, poof, you’ve got something magical.”

Allen also holds the position of second-largest shareholder in the premium cable network Starz and has expressed ambitions to become its controlling owner. However, Starz has implemented shareholder protections to guard against hostile takeovers, presenting a potential obstacle.

Despite previous unsuccessful attempts to acquire other media assets, including TV station operator Tegna and the NFL’s Washington Commanders, Allen remains determined. “At the end of the day, all I want to do is make my mama proud, no matter how rich I get,” he said. “I’m just still a little scared little boy hanging on to my mother’s leg.”