Meet Byron Allen, the Producer Taking Over Stephen Colbert’s Time Slot

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As a huge fan of Stephen Colbert and The Late Show, I’ve been wondering who CBS will choose to take over when he steps down in May. It’s a big spot to fill! And honestly, I was just looking into that very question…

Comedian and entertainment executive Byron Allen stated during a panel at New York’s Advertising Week last October, as reported by Variety, that he’s eager to create a new show. Allen, the CEO of Allen Media Group, has been developing his show, Comics Unleashed, intermittently since 2023, and expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for fifty years. I’m definitely going for it.”

CBS has announced plans to fill the time slot previously held by Stephen Colbert with back-to-back episodes of Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, followed by his game show, Funny You Should Ask starting April 6th. This means viewers can expect plenty of comedy from Allen!

“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,” he shared in a statement, noting he appreciated CBS’ confidence in his shows “because the world can never have enough laughter.”

CBS is certainly laughing all the way to the proverbial bank. 

In this type of time buy, Allen’s company pays the network for the slot and sells the advertising themselves, meaning CBS will make money regardless of ratings. An eagerness to cash in was the reason CBS gave when canceling Colbert’s popular series last July, the network calling it “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” 

Allen understood the show was being moved to a less desirable time slot and explained to the Los Angeles Times last August, when Comics Unleashed was scheduled for 12:35 PM, that it wouldn’t even save money. He said, “It’s not cheaper. It’s zero.”

Ready to run the numbers? Here’s what to know about Allen.

Who Is Byron Allen?

Allen grew up in Detroit and showed ambition from a young age. A family trip to Los Angeles unexpectedly became a permanent move when his mother, Carolyn Folks, secured a pioneering internship at NBC.

Her work allowed Allen, now 64, to grow up around the television network. As he shared in a 2019 profile with C-Suite Quarterly, he developed a passion for all aspects of TV – both the creative and business sides – as well as comedy itself.

He started performing stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles when he was just 14 years old. Because of his age, he had to perform between other acts to avoid any issues with the club’s liquor license. It was there that he was noticed by Jimmie “J.J.” Walker, the star of the TV show Good Times.

He described the gathering at Walker’s apartment, mentioning that David Letterman had just arrived from Indianapolis in a red truck, Jay Leno was napping in his car, and Marty Nadler—who later produced popular shows like Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days—was also there.

Allen’s career took off just before he graduated high school when he became the youngest comedian ever to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He quickly landed a hosting gig on NBC’s Real People, and soon found himself juggling film school at USC with opening performances for major stars like Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton.

What Is Byron Allen’s Company Allen Media Group?

For Allen, running a business was serious work. He put it this way: ‘It wasn’t about entertainment, it was about business first.’ He always prioritized the financial side of things. In 1993, he started what would become Allen Media Group by becoming skilled at selling TV series directly to stations, as he explained to CSQ.

I’ve been following Byron Allen’s career for years, and I was fascinated to hear how he got his start with Entertainers. He told a reporter he literally called every single TV station in America – all 1,300 of them! He was pitching his show, where he’d interview seven movie stars each week about what they were working on. Can you imagine the rejection? He said most stations turned him down dozens of times – like 40 or 50 ‘no’s from each one! But he got enough ‘yes’es to really get his name out there and build his brand, which is amazing.

He achieved a lot of success by actively seeking out opportunities, as he described it, and became an executive producer on a wide range of projects, including shows like Mathis Court with Judge Mathis and movies such as 47 Meters Down.

And he truly made it rain in 2018 when he purchased The Weather Channel for $310 million. 

What Is Byron Allen’s Show Comics Unleashed?

Allen, host of a comedy talk show with guest panelists, told the Los Angeles Times that he instructs the comedians to think of the show as if they were filming I Love Lucy. He prefers timeless humor, specifically asking them to avoid political jokes and focus on being funny in a way that’s appropriate for families and advertisers.

The show’s original 233 episodes, filmed between 2006 and 2016 for syndication and starring comedians like Kevin Hart, Chelsea Handler, and Nate Bargatze, still hold up today. While Allen started making new episodes last year, the older ones remain enjoyable and relevant.

I’ve always been fascinated by how he wanted to recapture the feeling of those early days. He told the L.A. Times that what really stuck with him was how comedians were at their absolute best – the funniest they could be – after hanging out at Canter’s Deli. It was like that post-show energy fueled their best material, and he wanted to bring that back.

Finally, some comedians will compete on Allen’s game show, Funny You Should Ask, with Jon Kelley as the host.

Is Byron Allen Married?

For almost twenty years, Allen has blended his personal and professional life. He previously created the MTV dating show DisMissed, and when he met his future wife, Jennifer Lucas, in April 2001, she was a supervising producer at his company.

After dating for five years and being engaged for a few months, they got married in September 2007 at the Hotel Bel-Air in Beverly Hills. Around 120 guests attended, including celebrities like Eddie Murphy and Natalie Cole.

Beyond working together on entertainment projects like the shows Comics Unleashed and Funny You Should Ask, and films including Replicas, Friend Request, and Boss Level, Lucas and his partner are also parents to three children: Chloe, 17, Olivia, 16, and Lucas, 13.

Allen isn’t the only actor with exciting new TV projects. Here are some other shows you might want to start watching soon.

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2026-04-07 20:18