Byron Allen on how CBS handed him Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ time slot

Byron Allen’s “Comics Unleashed” will take over the timeslot held by “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” following the host’s final episode on Thursday.

As CBS sunsets “The Late Show,” media executive Byron Allen is gearing up to take over one of television’s most coveted evening time slots.

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Starting Friday, Allen’s long-running syndicated comedy series, “Comics Unleashed,” will air at 11:35 p.m. ET.

Allen, who rose to fame as a stand-up comic, described the move as a “business opportunity” that he believes could help further expand his media empire. Last week, he bought a controlling stake in Buzzfeed, the digital media company co-founded by Jonah Peretti that helped define virality online.