CBS replaces Stephen Colbert late show with new comedy block in major late night shakeup

CBS has announced it will replace The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with a new comedy block led by Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.

The network said the change will take effect on May 22, one day after the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs.

The long-running late-night programme is set to end on May 21.

CBS confirmed it will air two back-to-back episodes of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen each night to fill the 11:35 PM slot.

The 12:35 AM hour will then feature Funny You Should Ask, a syndicated game show created by Byron Allen.

According to CBS, Allen welcomed the move, saying: “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.”

The new programming arrangement is part of a time-buy deal for the 2026–27 season, meaning Allen Media Group pays to air the shows on CBS.

The decision follows CBS’s earlier announcement that it would cancel Colbert’s show, citing financial pressures in the late-night television industry.

The move was described by the network as “agonizing.”

However, some observers have suggested political factors may have played a role, pointing to Colbert’s criticism of US President Donald Trump and ongoing corporate developments involving CBS’s parent company, Paramount.