Byron Allen Says His 11:35 Debut Date Is a Johnny Carson Tribute

Byron Allen says his CBS late-night takeover could have waited until fall. He had another date in mind.

In a new interview with TheWrap, Allen said CBS initially wanted Comics Unleashed to move into The Late Show’s 11:35 p.m. slot on September 21—but he pushed to launch May 22, the night after Stephen Colbert’s final broadcast, because of what that date means in late-night history.

“What people don’t realize is that was my hero Johnny Carson’s last night,” Allen told TheWrap, referring to Carson’s final Tonight Show broadcast on May 22, 1992. “Normally, you would premiere in September, but I said ‘No, no, no, no. That’s when Johnny stepped down. That’s when I’m stepping up.’”

The Carson connection has become a recurring theme in Allen’s public comments about replacing Colbert. Allen was 18 when he became the youngest comedian ever to perform on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a milestone Colbert referenced in a note he sent Allen after learning Comics Unleashed would be taking over his time period.

Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month that he wrote Allen, “Hey, congrats. I heard you got the time. Good for you. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could drop Mr. Carson a note?”

Allen later told THR that he and Colbert had been “texting quite a bit,” calling the outgoing Late Show host “an American treasure.”

TheWrap’s interview also adds a new number to Allen’s case for CBS’ post-Colbert late-night pivot. Allen said that between Comics Unleashed at 11:35 and Funny You Should Ask at 12:37, CBS will save “approximately $150 million+ per year just on production and marketing.” That figure, Allen said, does not include whatever his company is paying CBS for the airtime.

“So it’s a great deal for CBS,” Allen said.

As LateNighter first reported last year when Comics Unleashed replaced After Midnight, Allen’s CBS arrangement is a time-buy: Allen Media Group pays CBS for the airtime and sells the advertising itself. The new 11:35 deal extends that model to CBS’ entire late-night block, with Funny You Should Ask following Comics Unleashed.

CBS has said the move will make the time period revenue-positive after The Late Show reportedly ran at a $40 million annual deficit, a claim that has been met with skepticism in and around late night—and one Colbert has turned into a recurring punchline.

Allen’s pitch is that Comics Unleashed is built for a different late-night economy. Unlike Colbert’s topical show, Allen said his program is designed to remain evergreen.

“From day one, I said to the comedians 20 years ago, ‘No political humor, nothing topical, nothing racist, nothing homophobic, nothing sexist,’” Allen told TheWrap. “Just straight over the plate, talking about your life, your family, your relationships.”

That approach, Allen argued, has helped the show hold up better in reruns. He said Colbert’s repeats are sometimes down 52 percent because they revolve around events from weeks earlier, while Comics Unleashed repeats are down “approximately 14%.”

Whether that makes Comics Unleashed the future of network late night or merely a one-year financial bridge remains an open question. CBS TV/Media chair George Cheeks told reporters in April that Allen’s deal is for one season, and that the network is still developing other ideas for a possible long-term replacement.

“I believe in late night,” Cheeks said. “I think the reality is that the reach is still there. But the reach is there primarily on YouTube, which is under-monetized. So if we’re going to go back in that space, we have to go back in that space with a different financial model.”

For now, Allen is framing his CBS arrival as both a business play and a late-night full-circle moment: the teenage comic who once got Carson’s blessing, stepping into CBS’ most storied late-night slot on the anniversary of Carson’s goodbye.

Comics Unleashed begins its 11:35 p.m. CBS run May 22.