CBS to replace Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ with Byron Allen comedy
CBS has announced “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” as a replacement for “The Late Show” starting May 22, following the departure of Stephen Colbert.
David Letterman weighs the future of CBS’ old time slot.
In a video on his YouTube channel posted on April 10, the comedian shared his reaction to CBS’ announcement that Letterman would replace his former host, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed.
The station leased the time slot to Allen after previously announcing that Colbert’s show would be canceled for financial reasons.
In a video, Letterman explained why CBS chose “Comics Unleashed” instead of “Late Show.”
“They don’t want to spend money,” he said. “So they’re trying to make money. They charge Byron Allen a certain price. He sells all the ads for Comics Unleashed.”
“Comics Unleashed” is a talk show hosted by Allen that features a series of rotating comedians presenting material in a panel format. Letterman has expressed displeasure over the cancellation of “The Late Show,” but insisted in a video that “Comics Unleashed” is a “pretty good idea” for the show.
Allen acknowledged that the low cost of “Comics Unleashed” is a big part of its appeal for CBS, which already airs the show after Colbert’s “Late Show.”
“It’s not cheap,” he told the Los Angeles Times last August. “It’s zero.”
Allen also said he cited the need to cut costs when pitching CBS to air “Comics Unleashed” in the time slot previously occupied by James Corden’s “The Late Late Show.”
“My mind was, ‘Hey, there’s a huge opportunity here,'” Allen said at New York Advertising Week in 2025, according to Variety. “‘Why would you spend $35 million on a TV show for that hour? Let me give you the show. I’m happy to make the show. You can save that 35, 40 million, whatever it is, and put it toward something else.’ So CBS said, ‘This makes sense.’
Letterman hosted “The Late Show” on CBS from 1993 until 2015, when Colbert took over as host. CBS announced on April 6 that the show would be canceled in July 2025, with Comics Unleashed taking over the slot.
The final episode of “The Late Show” is scheduled for May 21st. Another Allen-produced show, “Funny You Should Ask,” will air after “Comics Unleashed.”
Allen previously said in a statement: “There’s not enough laughter in the world, so I’m grateful to CBS for the confidence they had in me by choosing me for a two-hour comedy slot on Comics Unleashed and Funny You Should Ask.”
