Good News! Comedy Returns to Late-Night TV

The all-white boys club that is late-night TV will get a jolt next month.

Black comedian-turned-entrepreneur Byron Allen will be taking over for Stephen Colbert when his “Late Show” signs off for the last time May 21.

Cue the fawning headlines from the Legacy Press – late-night TV gets a welcome blast of diversity’ … right?

Right? 

The Left only celebrates Identity Politics  when it aligns with its worldview. Remember the headlines celebrating Scott Bessent, the first gay Treasury Secretary? No? Well, that’s because the Legacy Media took a knee rather than honor that milestone.

The same will happen with Allen’s new lease deal on that coveted time slot, even though the press has been cranky about the melanin levels of late-night TV for some time.

Heck, a PBS contributor just did…

CBS is replacing Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show with Byron Allen’s tired comedy showcase Comics Unleashed. This is how bending the knee results in much worse pop culture content. Expect ratings in that timeslot to fall off a cliff. https://t.co/NPg1LbGvzQ

— Switching Codes with Eric Deggans (@Deggans) April 6, 2026

And no, Jimmy Kimmel’s past blackface performances don’t count.

Plus, reporters are still mourning Colbert’s slow-motion cancellation months after CBS dropped the ax. The Tiffany Network decided to fire both Colbert and mothball “The Late Show” after revealing the series lost the network a reported $40 million a year.

The “new” program is actually nothing of the kind. Nor is it a talk show-like format. Allen will be bringing back-to-back installments of his “Comics Unleashed” stand-up showcase to fill “The Late Show’s” hour-long time slot.

No more Dancing Vaccines? Late-night TV just got better.

<span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span><span class=”fr-mk” style=”display: none;”> </span>

It also means that viewers may be able to laugh themselves to sleep again, a nod to the old days of Paar, Carson, Leno and Letterman. That hasn’t been possible since roughly 2016, when these comedy programs turned their creative fire against then-candidate Donald Trump. It’s been a slow, tragic decline ever since, with the second Trump term making Colbert’s “Late Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” even more insufferable.

The irony thickens for a format that’s been reduced to “clapter” for some time.

“I created and launched ‘Comics Unleashed’ 20 years ago so my fellow comedians could have a platform to do what we all love – make people laugh,” Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group said in a statement.“The world can never have enough laughter.”

Allen practices what he preaches.

The Detroit native started telling jokes at 14 and got his first appearance on “The Tonight Show” four years later after attracting the attention of Jimmi Walker of “Good Times” fame. That led to a gig co-hosting NBC’s “Real People,” an early Reality TV series that enjoyed a five-year run.

Allen was a quick study, absorbing all aspects of Hollywood while plotting his next moves. He founded Entertainment Studios (later renamed Allen Media Group) in 1993 and his entrepreneurial journey began. In 2021, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Now, Allen Media Group creates and distributes many syndicated TV programs like “Comics Unleashed” and “Funny You Should Ask,” which currently airs after “The Late Show.”

Imagine that, a committed stand-up comedian and capitalist sharing jokes, not finger-wagging lectures. Heck, it’s a radical idea that just might work.

Editor’s note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you want to join the conversation in the comments — and support independent platforms — why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!