{"id":2422244,"date":"2026-05-18T19:14:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T19:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2422244"},"modified":"2026-05-18T19:14:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T19:14:25","slug":"byron-allen-details-lunch-with-stephen-colbert-prior-to-being-named-his-late-night-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/byron-allen-details-lunch-with-stephen-colbert-prior-to-being-named-his-late-night-replacement\/","title":{"rendered":"Byron Allen details lunch with Stephen Colbert prior to being named his late-night replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Byron Allen recounts having lunch with Stephen Colbert before landing the gig as his replacement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <em>Comics Unleashed <\/em>creator and host is taking over Colbert&#8217;s late-night time slot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The final episode of <em>The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em> airs on May 21.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Byron Allen says his friendship with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/stephen-colbert\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Stephen Colbert;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Stephen Colbert&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Stephen Colbert<\/a> has not changed, even as he prepares to take over his time slot on CBS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On May 22, the day after Colbert says his final farewell to the network after 11 years, <em>Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen<\/em> will take over the CBS&#8217; 11:35 p.m. time slot. Though Colbert&#8217;s departure is entirely out of his hands, the two comedians have made it clear that there are <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/byron-allen-praises-stephen-colbert-ahead-of-late-show-finale-11975883\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:no hard feelings;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;no hard feelings&quot;}\" class=\"link \">no hard feelings<\/a> between them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During a recent sit-down with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2026\/05\/15\/stephen-colbert-cbs-late-show-replacement-byron-allen-comics-unleashed-interview\/90096565007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:USA Today;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;USA Today&quot;}\" class=\"link \">USA Today<\/a>, Allen shared that months after Colbert&#8217;s cancellation was announced \u2014 but before he <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/cbs-reveals-replacement-for-the-late-show-11943687\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:landed the spot as his replacement;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;landed the spot as his replacement&quot;}\" class=\"link \">landed the spot as his replacement<\/a> \u2014 the duo met up for a meal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We started breakfast at 10 a.m. and it went into lunch. And we shared our love of comedy and talk shows and Johnny Carson,&#8221; Allen said. He noted that after he landed the time slot, Colbert was &#8220;gracious,&#8221; and shot him a kind message. &#8220;He sent me a wonderful text. He said, &#8216;Congratulations.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>&#8216;Comics Unleashed&#8217; with Byron Allen<br \/>Credit: Paramount+<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Allen continued, &#8220;He is a wonderful human being. He is a really good guy. He&#8217;s a beautiful soul and I think he&#8217;s an American treasure. I hope that he continues to come into our homes. He deserves to be there, and I think he&#8217;s great. I think the world of him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Colbert has echoed this sentiment. When <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/stephen-colbert-note-to-byron-allen-after-learning-late-show-replaced-by-comics-unleashed-11968134\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:asked about Byron snagging the time slot;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;asked about Byron snagging the time slot&quot;}\" class=\"link \">asked about Byron snagging the time slot<\/a> earlier this month, Colbert said, &#8220;God bless him. I know Byron. We got to know each other last year, actually. He&#8217;s fascinating.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;You know his history with Carson?&#8221; Colbert continued, referring to Allen being the youngest comedian ever to perform on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/article\/2005\/01\/28\/six-ways-johnny-carson-reinvented-television\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson<\/em><\/a>. Allen was only 18 years old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He then divulged the contents of his congratulatory text to Allen, sharing, &#8220;When I found out, I wrote him the next morning and I said, &#8216;Hey, congrats. I heard you got the time. Good for you. Wouldn&#8217;t it be lovely if you could drop Mr. Carson a note?'&#8221; (Carson died in 2005 at 79.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">CBS announced its plans for replacing Colbert&#8217;s 11:35 p.m. ET\/PT slot with <em>Comics Unleashed <\/em>on April 6. Unlike topical and politically driven late night talk shows, <em>Unleashed<\/em> takes a roundtable approach that invites comedians to tell stories and crack rapid-fire jokes from the couch. The broadcast will be followed up by <em>Funny You Should Ask<\/em>, a game show produced by Allen which will air at 12:35 a.m. ET\/PT.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Colbert on 'The Late Show'Credit: Scott Kowalchyk\/CBS\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/j3Udvxq80HplGYksEEKaDg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/f6592a3a3db0e9ed1f595ead5ed9e402\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Colbert on &#8216;The Late Show&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Scott Kowalchyk\/CBS<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-to-end-in-2026-cbs-retiring-franchise-11774759\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Last July, news arrived;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Last July, news arrived&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Last July, news arrived<\/a> that <em>The Late Show<\/em> would conclude its historic 33-year run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season, retiring Colbert&#8217;s show and the franchise as a whole. &#8220;We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable,&#8221; CBS said in a statement at the time. &#8220;We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The network insisted that its decision to pull the plug on the franchise was &#8220;purely a financial one&#8221; and that it wasn&#8217;t &#8220;related in any way to the show&#8217;s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with\u00a0our\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Still, many have questioned the timing of the announcement, pointing out that Colbert had criticized CBS&#8217; corporate parent, Paramount Global, for agreeing to pay $16 million to President <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/donald-trump\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Donald Trump;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Donald Trump&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Donald Trump<\/a> over an interview with former Vice President <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/kamala-harris\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Kamala Harris;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Kamala Harris&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Kamala Harris<\/a> that aired on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/60-minutes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:60 Minutes;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;60 Minutes&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>60 Minutes<\/em><\/a>. Trump has also been vocal about his disdain for Colbert and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/stephen-colbert-reacts-to-donald-trump-celebrating-the-late-show-cancellation-11776565\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:celebrated news of The Late Show's cancellation;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;celebrated news of The Late Show'&quot;}\" class=\"link \">celebrated news of <em>The Late Show<\/em>&#8216;s cancellation<\/a> on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Colbert is now gearing up for his final week of episodes, which will include appearances from Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne, and Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The final episode of <em>The Late Show With Stephen Colbert <\/em>will air on May 21 at 11:35 p.m. ET\/PT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/stephen-colbert-byron-allen-lunch-late-show-11977702\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Byron Allen recounts having lunch with Stephen Colbert before landing the gig as his replacement. The Comics Unleashed creator and host is taking over Colbert&#8217;s late-night time slot. The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs on May 21. Byron Allen says his friendship with Stephen Colbert has not changed, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2422245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[427418,450004,22653,400870],"class_list":["post-2422244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-byron-allen","tag-comics-unleashed","tag-stephen-colbert","tag-the-tonight-show-starring-johnny-carson"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Byron-Allen-details-lunch-with-Stephen-Colbert-prior-to-being.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2422244"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422246,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422244\/revisions\/2422246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2422244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2422244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2422244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}