Late night has enough political humor already, says host stepping into Colbert’s slot : NPR’s Newsmakers

Byron Allen, the media mogul and former stand-up comedian, is gearing up for his latest venture: bringing his show Comics Unleashed to the CBS time slot long held by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

“I feel great. I feel amazing. You know, I tell everybody, I have been pursuing this for 51 years,” Allen said in a conversation with NPR’s Ailsa Chang in Culver City, California. He praised Colbert, calling him “an American treasure,” but said Comics Unleashed will steer clear of the political comedy Colbert was known for, breaking away from the typical late night format.

“Not everybody’s gonna love me,” he said. “But there is that one or two percent that would be like ‘hell yeah, I’m rolling with you’ and I learned that at an early age, and by the way, that simple lesson made me a billionaire.”

Allen’s 11:35 p.m. EST debut on Friday, May 22 comes after CBS’ contentious cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, despite its top ratings — a move that is widely viewed as political, given Colbert’s frequent criticism of President Trump and his administration. CBS has said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision,” and Allen insists no one at CBS, or its parent company Paramount, has set any limitations or boundaries for his show.

Allen sat down for an interview with NPR’s Newsmakers video podcast ahead of his debut episode.

He discussed his plans for Comics Unleashed in its new prime late night slot, why he thinks there’s still more than enough political comedy after the cancellation of Colbert, and why it’s important for Black Americans to own and produce media.

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