Byron Allen Addresses Taking Over Stephen Colbert’s Time Slot

“Not everybody’s gonna love me,” he explained. “But there is that one or two percent that would be like ‘hell yeah, I’m rolling with you’ and I learned that at an early age.”

The 65-year-old—whose show ran on CBS from 2006 to 2016 before returning from 2023 to 2024 and again in 2025—emphasized that he “had nothing to do” with The Late Show’s cancellation. And he only has praise for Colbert.

“Stephen Colbert is an American treasure,” Allen said. “He is a phenomenal human being. He is truly special. Here’s the good news. He owns his talent. And he has an audience that loves him. He just has to decide where he wants to plant his flag next.”

“Quite frankly, there are so many places he can go,” he continued. “I would support him on anything he wants to do. He doesn’t need me. But I would do it in a nanosecond.”

Colbert—who took over The Late Show in 2015 following David Letterman‘s departure—did indeed plant his flag, this time appearing as a guest host on Only in Monroe, a public access program in Monroe, Michigan, one day after his show ended.

As Colbert moves forward in his career, however, his late-night show will always hold a special place in his heart.

“This show has been a joy for us to do for you,” he said during the May 21 finale. “We call it ‘The Joy Machine,’ because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears.”

“I cannot adequately explain to you,” he added, “what the people who work here have done for each other and how much we mean to each other.”

Read on to learn the fate of more of your favorite TV shows…