Byron Allen says he’s ‘not trying to replace’ Stephen Colbert in CBS late-night slot
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Byron Allen has shared that he is not concerned about audience reactions as ‘Comics Unleashed’ moves into the late-night slot previously occupied by Stephen Colbert on CBS.
The film producer’s comedy series debuted on Friday, May 22, at 11:35 pm EST after CBS canceled ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’, which had been on air for more than a decade.
Byron Allen says ‘Comics Unleashed’ already has its own audience
Allen said he does not view himself as replacing Colbert despite taking over the same late-night time slot.
“I am not trying to hold on to his audience because ‘Comics Unleashed’ has been around 20 years and has its own audience,” he told NPR.
The former stand-up comedian also acknowledged that not everyone would appreciate his approach to comedy.
“Not everyone's going to love me. Not everyone's going to love the fact that I'm not being racist or antisemitic or sexist,” Allen stated.
Though reports have suggested that Colbert’s show was canceled because of financial reasons, many viewers have speculated that the decision may have been politically motivated.
Byron Allen says CBS gave him no restrictions on political content
When Allen was asked whether CBS had instructed him to avoid political topics, he denied receiving any such direction.
“Absolutely not,” Allen said.
“I have absolutely not had any conversations with anybody at CBS or Paramount about what to say or not to say. Do you know that I've been taping this show here since July or August and somebody from CBS just came by to say hello and thank us,” the 65-year-old revealed.
Allen also claimed that CBS offered very little feedback when reviewing episodes of the show.
“They barely give notes. CBS has not given me any notes, any feedback about not being political... I started the show 20 years ago, and we've been crushing it for 20 years,” he added.
The comments came after Allen previously stated that he would not focus heavily on political commentary.
“You come, you laugh... We’ve had on a thousand comedians — every shape and size, you name it. I want to bring people together using comedy,” he noted.
Judd Apatow reacts to Stephen Colbert leaving late-night television
Meanwhile, Colbert’s departure has continued to draw reactions across the television industry.
Recently, Judd Apatow expressed concern over cancellations affecting late-night hosts and praised them for speaking openly through comedy.
He said the remaining hosts “are going to fight until their last breath to be allowed to express themselves” while applauding their ability to portray “human frailty in a hilarious manner.”
“We watched Letterman talk about 9/11. We went through political events through the eyes of these people. I’m amazed at the way talk-show hosts are able to write jokes that allow us to laugh at something that is dark and troubling,” Apatow added.
