The “Late Show” franchise will end after more than three decades in May.

CBS reveals replacement for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

The "Late Show" franchise will end after more than three decades in May.

By Sharareh Drury

April 6, 2026 3:34 p.m. ET

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

As *The Late Show With Stephen Colbert* nears its end, CBS is preparing for its successor.

On May 22, the day after Stephen Colbert says goodbye to the network after 11 years, *Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen* will take over the network's 11:35 p.m. timeslot. The rountable talk show will be followed by another Allen-produced series, the comedy game show* Funny You Should Ask*, at 12:35 a.m.

"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 shared in a statement. "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."

'Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen'.

Comics Unleashed/Youtube

Hosted by Allen, *Comics Unleashed *premiered in syndication in September 2006; comedians featured on the series include Tiffany Haddish, Cedric the Entertainer, Gabriel Iglesias, and Nate Bargatze. *Funny You Should Ask *is hosted by Jon Kelley and premiered in September 2017.

*Comics Unleashed *came to CBS for a limited run from 2023 to 2024 to fill time after the end of *The Late Late Show with James Corden*, during which it aired reruns and never-before-seen episodes all produced prior to 2023. It returned to CBS — and producing new episodes — for the 2025-2026 season to take over what had been Corden's replacement, *After Midnight With Taylor Tomlinson*.

Allen's arrangement with CBS is a unique one: *The Hollywood Reporter** *notes that he's buying airtime from the network; in exchange, his company Allen Media Group gets to sell any available advertising spots during *Comics Unleashed *and *Funny You Should Ask*.

Stephen Colbert.

Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

CBS announced last July that the *Late Show* franchise would end after more than three decades, citing the decision as "purely a financial" one.

"*The Late Show With Stephen Colbert* will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season," CBS said in a statement. "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."

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."

Jimmy Fallon serenades 'Late Show' host with 'Stephen's Way': 'Now it's down to just two Jimmys'

Stephen Colbert slams CBS in tirade against network over James Talarico interview

When Colbert addressed the cancellation during a taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, he told the audibly upset audience that he shared their feelings, saying "It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of *The Late Show* on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away."

"We get to do this show for each other, every day, all day, and I've had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years," he added.

"Let me tell you, it is a fantastic job," Colbert said. "I wish somebody else was getting it. And it's a job that I'm looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. It's going to be fun."****

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Talk”