CBS has announced its late-night lineup shakeup, with Byron Allen's comedy programming filling the void left by Stephen Colbert's departure. Starting May 22, "Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen" will air in the coveted 11:35 p.m. slot, followed by Allen's game show "Funny You Should Ask."
Colbert's final episode of "The Late Show" airs May 21, concluding his decade-long tenure on the network. The cancellation was announced last July after 33 years of late-night programming on CBS.
Allen expressed enthusiasm about the expanded platform for comedians, stating in a press release: "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. I truly appreciate CBS' confidence in me by picking up our two-hour comedy block."
Meanwhile, Colbert is embarking on a new creative venture that taps into his well-known passion for J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world. The longtime host has been collaborating with "The Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson to develop a script for an upcoming film in the franchise.
"I'm pretty happy about it," Colbert said in a recent interview alongside Jackson. "You know what the books mean to me and what your films mean to me."
The comedian revealed he's focusing on adapting chapters three through six from the first book—material that didn't make it into previous film adaptations. "I knew for some time now that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story," Colbert explained.
Reflecting on his late-night career, Colbert expressed gratitude to his audience and team: "I'm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us. I'm grateful to share the stage with this band, these artists over here every night. And I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here."
The transition marks a significant shift in CBS's late-night programming strategy, replacing the long-running talk show format with Allen's comedy-focused block while Colbert turns his attention to cinematic storytelling in Middle-earth.