The final episode of “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” airs on May 21.

Byron Allen praises ‘American treasure’ Stephen Colbert ahead of *Late Show *finale

The final episode of "Late Show With Stephen Colbert" airs on May 21.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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May 15, 2026 2:23 p.m. ET

Byron Allen; Stephen Colbert. Credit:

Paras Griffin/Getty; Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty

- Byron Allen reacted to taking over Stephen Colbert's late-night slot with *Comics Unleashed*.

- Allen praised the host as an "American treasure."

- The final episode of *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert* airs on May 21.

Byron Allen has nothing but respect for Stephen Colbert.

On May 21, *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert* will come to an end with a new program taking over Colbert's late-night slot. Allen, who will be replacing Colbert with his show *Comics Unleashed*, called CBS' decision to cancel the show “an unfortunate event.”**

“I really like Stephen Colbert. I think he is a magnificent human being,” Allen added, per *Variety*. “He’s a super talent, I believe he is an American treasure.”**

Byron Allen in Hollywood in April 2026.

Michael Kovac/Getty

The admiration is mutual. Colbert told *The Hollywood Reporter *in April about his reaction to learning of Allen replacing him. "God bless him. I know Byron. We got to know each other last year, actually. He's fascinating," he said.

Colbert also mentioned Allen's "history" in the late-night world as the youngest person to ever perform on *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson* at 18. "Anyway, when I found out, I wrote him the next morning and I said, 'Hey, congrats. I heard you got the time. Good for you. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could drop Mr. Carson a note?'" he said.

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CBS announced its plans for replacing Colbert's 11:35 p.m. ET/PT slot with *Comics Unleashed *on April 6. Following Allen's roundtable talk show, a game show produced by Allen, *Funny You Should Ask*, will air at 12:35 a.m. ET/PT.**

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"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," Allen said in a statement at the time.

"I truly appreciate CBS' confidence in me by picking up our two-hour comedy block of *Comics Unleashed *and* Funny You Should Ask*, because the world can never have enough laughter."

Less than two weeks after the announcement, Paramount's chair of TV media, George Cheeks, mentioned that the *Comics Unleashed *replacement might not be for the long-run, noting they did a one-season deal. "So, we are still going to develop other ideas, other concepts. But to go into immediate profitability in that slot made a lot of sense for us right now," he said, per Deadline.**

Cheeks added, "Byron's been a great partner to us at 12:30, so we feel confident he will continue to be a great partner for us at 11:30, as well."

Stephen Colbert on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' in March 2026.

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

CBS announced last July that the *Late Show *franchise would be ending after 33 years. "We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire* The Late Show* franchise at that time. 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," CBS said at the time.**

The statement continued, "This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."**

The final episode of *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert* airs on May 21 at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.**

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