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4w ago

CBS Taps Byron Allen’s ‘Comics Unleashed’ to Replace Colbert at 11:35 p.m. Starting May 22

The network is using a paid time-buy from Allen Media Group to cut costs in a money-losing late-night slot.

CBS will replace the late-night slot of Stephen Colbert, above, with "Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen,” starting May 22, the day after Colbert’s final program.
Byron Allen attends the game between the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on March 8.
NEW YORK - JUNE 13: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during Mondays June 13, 2022 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • CBS said Monday that Comics Unleashed will move into the 11:35 p.m. hour with two back-to-back half-hour episodes starting May 22, followed by two half-hours of Funny You Should Ask at 12:35 a.m., the day after Stephen Colbert’s finale on May 21.
  • Allen Media Group is purchasing the two-hour block as a time-buy for the 2026–27 season, paying CBS for the airtime and keeping most ad slots to sell, which shifts financial risk off the network.
  • CBS executives say ending The Late Show was a financial choice driven by declining late-night ad revenue and high production costs, with George Cheeks calling the old model unsustainable.
  • Comics Unleashed and Funny You Should Ask use evergreen, non-political comedy designed for easy reruns, with Allen hosting the roundtable stand-up showcase and Jon Kelley hosting the game show.
  • Industry watchers see the arrangement as a template other networks may test, while some coverage raises political speculation around Colbert’s cancellation that CBS and Paramount reject as unfounded.