As the world says goodbye (finally – it’s felt a tad protracted) to Late Night host Stephen Colbert, interest is growing about the man set to take the 11:35pm time slot on CBS.
As with most of the hosts on competing shows such as Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers, media mogul Byron Allen is a comedian, and he’s incredibly wealthy – a billionaire in fact.
But two things set Allen apart from most of the other late night hosts on various networks: he’s not white, and he bought the time slot.
The Guardian reports that “While it’s standard for networks to pay a host like Allen, 65, his deal with CBS is a little different. He will be paying the network for Colbert’s old time slot through a 16-month-long lease agreement while selling advertising for the show himself.”
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Who is media mogul Byron Allen?
Allen’s Comics Unleashed show has been airing for 20 years, and last year began running after Colbert’s episodes.
CBS executives predict Allen’s take over from Colbert will provide “immediate profitability” – something they are seeking as they cited financial reasons for the cancellation of Late Night.
Allen recently made headlines for acquiring a majority stake BuzzFeed for $US120m.
As for Colbert, it seems it could be retirement. He’s held the covetable time slot since 2015, and aired his final episode on May 21, 2026 with a massive farewell – which also seemed to be an end to his public life at a large scale.
In 2025, Late Night was cancelled by CBS to appease Donald Trump, after Colbert, amidst making many anti-Trump jokes, mocked the $16 million settlement the broadcaster made with the President for allegedly “maliciously” editing an interview with his Democratic election rival Kamala Harris.
Top image: Byron Allen. Image: X