Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Replacement Revealed by CBS
What To Know
- Stephen Colbert’s tenure on The Late Show ends on May 21.
- Ahead of the final episode, CBS announced what program will take over the 11:35/10:35c time slot.
- New plans for the 12:37a/11:37c time slot were also revealed.
Stephen Colbert‘s days on The Late Show are winding down. His final show in the 11:35/10:35c CBS time slot will air on May 21, and the network has now revealed its plans for that hour moving forward.
Beginning on Friday, May 22, Byron Allen‘s comedy talk show Comics Unleashed will be airing back-t0-back half-hour episodes beginning at 11:35/10:35c on CBS from Mondays to Fridays. Then, for an hour beginning at 12:37a/11:37c on May 22, the comedy game show Funny You Should Ask, hosted by Jon Kelley, will join the CBS late-night lineup from Mondays to Fridays.
“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 said. “I truly appreciate CBS’s 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.”
Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
Both shows are produced by Allen’s Allen Media Group, while he also serves as executive producer on both programs. Per Variety, Allen’s time buy on CBS will run through the 2026 to 2027 TV season. Comics Unleashed has aired on CBS in the 12:37a/11:37c time slot in the past. CBS has not confirmed how much Allen is paying for his time slots on the network.
Colbert took over as host of The Late Show from David Letterman in 2015. In July 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show franchise would end in May 2026 after 33 years, concluding Colbert’s time on the network.
Meanwhile, Allen had been advocating for his show to take over Colbert’s time slot when The Late Show ends. “If they’re looking for a show, my hand is already up,” he said in October 2025, according to Variety. “Fifty years, I’ve been waiting for this moment. Definitely, I’m going for it. I’m investing millions and millions of dollars to prove myself.”
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS
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F
There is no replacing Stephen Colbert.
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T
David Letterman was much better than Colbert, going from Colbert to Letterman was a big step down
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M
Is that why he’s lasted 10 years?
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D
Replaced with a DEI hire
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R
CBS is proved time and time again that it's in Trump's pocket as soon as Stephen Colbert shows ends I will no longer watch this CBS network Other than a few shows that I get free included to stream with my cable subscription.
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C
thank goodness we attend a week long conference in the 90's at Tulane University in New Orleans. One of the subjects covered was "Kill Your TV" We did when we got home. The children didn't like it for about 2 weeks, and even now as grown ups they don't watch hours of TV. Encouraging all to Kill Your TV...just watch Stephen until he ends in May.
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D
YOU LIBERAL SOCIALIST BRAINWASHED NUTJOBS ARE THE REASON THEY ARE ALL GOING TO BE CANCELED!
KIMMEL, FALLON, MEYERS, THE VIEW, 60 MINUTES & JON STEWARTS ONE SIDED SLANDER AND HATE HAS DIVIDED THE COUNTRY AND HAS DIVIDED ALL OF THEIR VIEWERSHIP AND RATINGS!
ALL OF THE NETWORKS ARE LOOSING MILLIONS!
SPONSERS HAVE WENT FROM PAYING $100,000 DOLLARS TO RUN COMMERCIALS DURING THEIR SHOWS IN 2016 TO $20,000 IN 2026..
THEY HAVE LOST MORE THAN HALF THEIR VIEWERS!!!
WHAT IF IT WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND AND THE GOP WAS GIVING THEM KICK TO SLANDER BIDEN AND THE LEFT EVERY NIGHT…ALL OF YOU ON THE LEFT WOULD STOP WATCHING AND THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY BE FIRED BECAUSE OF RATINGS!
THATS WHAT HAPPENED!
THE DNC GAVE ALL OF THEM KICKBACKS TO SLANDER TRUMP AND THE GOP EVERY NIGHT!
NOW….ITS OVER!
CNN AND MSNBC WENT FROM COMBINED DAILEY VIEWERSHIP IN 2016 OF 7.3 MILLION VIEWERS TO COMBINED VIEWERSHIP OF 1.4 MILLION VIEWERS IN 2026!
THATS WHY CNN WAS SOLD AND NBC DISTANCED THEMSELVES FROM MSNBC AND CHANGED THEIR NAME TO MSNOW!
THEY ARE UP FOR SALE ALSO!
THE DNC, GEORGE SOROS AND THE DEEPSTATE DRAINED THEM DRY WITH THE SOCIALIST VIEWS, SLANDER OF TRUMP & THE GOP.
THEY ARE NOW LOSING MILLIONS EVERY SINGLE DAY BECAUSE NO ONE IS WATCHING!
THEY LOST MORE THAN 80% OF THEIR VIEWERSHIP IN 10 YEARS!
THIS IS THE DNC AND THEIR BASES FAULT!
THEY SPEWED THE RHETORIC EVERYDAY…AND ALL OF YOU BELIEVED IT AND ARE SO BRAINWASHED NOW THAT YOU CANT UNDERSTAND WHATS HAPPENING AROUND YOU EVERYDAY!
LISTEN TO FETTERMAN!
HES TRYING TO SAVE YOU!
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C
Well Republicans stopped watching a long time ago and cbs is way left leaning. Sorry about your tds
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M
I hope their ratings for that time period tanks to the lowest ratings ever. If I was the president of CBS I’d be embarrassed
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B
No one can replace Steven Colbert. His cancellation is a shame on CBS and a result of Donald Trump trying to silence anyone who criticizes him.
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A
OMG, even this is President Trump's fault? Boy, the power he must have if he can force the liberal medias hand! 😂😂😂
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M
Yep......
CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The announcement came just days after Colbert had criticized President Donald Trump and parent company Paramount over a controversial legal settlement. The next month, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Kimmel commented on the shooter who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Ultimately, Kimmel’s show returned quickly after massive public pushback.
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C
Wrong half his audience left
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M
He won an Emmy for best late night talk show in September of 2025.
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M
Nothing like censoring a comedian that the administration can’t handle! His humor and quick wit is refreshing. Some have a chip on their shoulder and can’t take the heat. Gee wonder who that might be?
Comedy mixed with truth is what this country needs! I never thought I would see this type of censorship in the United States! A disgrace to our country that is based on Freedom of Speech. Sad that power is over stepping what our country was founded on!
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C
Trump’s CBS is going down the tubes because of this cancellation and bending the knee to his wishes. Byron won’t last. He is no Stephen Cobert!!!
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G
Everything he touches turns to garbage. Everything.
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D
Obviously you aren't familiar with Byron
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K
CBS shouldn’t cancel Stephen Colbert. I’ll never watch CBS again.
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D
Good!!!
Go back to msnbc, FALLON, KIMMEL OR MEYERS…
Oh yeah…
They are next to be chopped out!!!
All of their ratings are so bad … but when networks fire them because they are loosing money.. you brainwashed nuts on the left blame Trump..You can’t lose half of your audience and expect to make money…
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S
So are you feeling better after Trump and his administration unleashed their stupid war and drove prices up?! People who criticised him at least has some conscience, shame on you!
Maybe you couldn't even understand what I'm saying. That's because you are blinded by a someone who wants to be a King.
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M
If Trump was really acting as king, you wouldn't be free to run around to your little "no kings" protests. Try living somewhere like Iran where protesting the government would literally cost you your life and tell us again how Trump is so oppressive. I'll gladly do without whiny losers like Colbert and yourself.
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F
I bet you’re a liberal
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J
One of the reasons CBS 'claimed' they were cancelling Colbert's show is that "late-nite TV is changing,' and 'talk shows are on the way out,' etc. So what does CBS do but fill the time slot with another talk/comedy show. The only difference is that this time CBS is pulling in the money rather than shelling it out.
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T
The relentless Trump bashing wasn't getting the ratings, good riddance Colbert
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M
+5
As of early 2026, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert continues to dominate late-night television in total viewers, averaging over 2.4 million viewers weekly and winning its timeslot, despite being slated to end in May 2026 following a 2025 cancellation announcement driven by declining advertising profitability.
IMDb +3
Key 2025-2026 Ratings Data:Top Ranking: Despite the cancellation news, Colbert maintained the #1 spot in late-night, consistently outperforming The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
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C
The only difference is it's funny now. Colbert stopped being funny when he became a political commentator. His only audience was people with TDS. MAYBE YOU REMEMBER OVER HALF OF AMERICA VOTED FOR HIM... they quit watching. Hope you find a cure
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J
My mental health is fine, thanyouverymuch. It's the Orange Idiot in Washington who's suffering from severe cognitive decline. He can't even talk normally to little kids at the Easter Egg Roll. He's so pathetic, I hope he gets the help he needs, and soon.
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R
Have you forgotten so quickly what a brain dead president and his administration we had from 2020-2024?? You people are the height of hypocrisy. All you ever do you is to constantly berate the Trump Administration, yet your ridiculous excuse of a woke party never fails to push your idealism on all of us about transgenders (please 🙄🤣) , men is women’s sports, and indoctrination of our CHILDREN with your disgusting books, and thinking it’s ok for schools not to inform the parent’s if a 5 year old thinks he/she is transgender? Are you kidding me? Tell me, hypothetically, how would you react if a 5, 6, 7 year old child of yours told a school official that they were trans but no one ever informed you, as their PARENT? If you believe you would be ok with that, then you’re lying. Go sit down, sis, you’re ridiculous and add nothing to this conversation.
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S
Any thing but Comics unleashed it’s awful he always has 2 men and 1 woman how about 2 men and 2 women it’s the worst comedy show ever
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H
Will not be watching. The only show I will be watching on CBS will be Boston Blue. I have washed my hands of CBS. Kiss asses that they are. They should be ashamed!
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M
Byron Allen seems like a nice enough person, but this is a huge mistake. New owners of CBS are bound and determined to run the network in the ground. I will definitely miss Colbert
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D
Byron has very high rating on the shows he already host
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L
So Byron Allen is paying CBS, not the other way around. These will apparently be comedy infomercials.
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L
The same way no one was going to deal with Disney again, no one I know wants to have anything to do with CBS when Steven is gone. I can't believe they don't get that the people that watch Steven's show are the same that watch Jimmy. I don't care what show you put on instead, we're not watching you're channel anymore. You kissed the fat ass and gave up a show that made you a lot of money. Let the MAGAS watch you now.
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K
Oh I remember "comics unleashed." ... couldnt have been more "leashed"
Norm MacDonald
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M
Where ever Colbert goes, I go. I already boycott CBS sponsors.
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G
Thank God for Kimmel & ABC!
I will no longer be watching CBS after primetime!
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D
Will not watch CBS ! It's obvious they do NOT believe in Freedom Of Speech!!
Colbert has enough class and moxi to be honest about what Trump is all about it!!!!
Run for President Colbert
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B
CBS was one of the only channels I watched through the years. Since they are no longer a news worthy organization. I will be deleting them like a lot of people from there watch list. The late show was the only late I would tune into but unfortunately the socialist agenda of the Dump presidency is driving everyone to non paramount platforms. A late night comedy is a waste of time and a money loser…
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K
This is replacing a Rolls Royce with. 1972 Chevy Vega.
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J
The replacement agenda sounds pathetic. CBS has been sold down the river in all avenues. Good riddance, CBS!
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T
I will no longer watch CBS or anything associated with this franchise. Stephen Colbert can never be replaced and I doubt this new format works (DON’T CARE) but then I do believe it was CBS that SAID “Late night Talk Shows are on their way out!” In other words, CBS bent a knee to Donald Trump, kissed his ring, and fired Colbert as Trump demanded! The LOSER will be CBS due to MAJOR decline in Viewership!
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G
CBS, you should be ashamed. William Paley, Edward R. Murrow & Walter Cronkite must be rolling in their graves as their legacy craters. First goes Colbert, then goes anything like strong journalism, critique or critical insight--truth to power, guys, remember? The last straw culminating in the Final Minute of 60 Minutes last night, which gave a free 60 second commercial to fundamentalist Christian conservative Franklin Graham--exactly like the ones he pays for regularly on TV--speaking a language that clearly excludes significant audience. You could have picked an Easter/Passover message, date appropriate to both, from any number of spiritual thinkers with an understanding of the breadth of faith in America, but no, you have another mission now.. Bye bye CBS.
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J
I like Byron Allen but I kinda like to watch a late night talk show I don't care about a game show. CBS is on its way down, no offense to anyone except , well then again there might be someone to blame and I used to like Tony but the couple remarks of me about Walter Cronkite were just too lame. Yes CBS have funding in the whole fair stuff.
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J
I think CBS should hang it's head in shame in not standing for Cobert and th CONSTITUTION and hiding behind their made up allegations. We're fighting for our rights and our lives a g against a corrupt president, republican party and Maga and judicial system. EVERYTHING We fought the Civil War for is in jeopardy and we have to stop them. I don't play the democrat/ republican card. I vote for most appropriate candidate for our country.
Shame on you CBS...YOU LOST A ANOTHER CUSTOMER. IF YOU FEEL THE SAME ...BOYCOTT CBS. HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS....THEIR POCKET AND RAITINGS.
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T
When Steven Colbert show ends, CBS will NO longer come on in my home. trump TV not allowed in my home.
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D
I agree 👍🏻 💯
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F
Well, CBS, if you thought Colbert wasn't making you enough money, wait and see how this tanks ratings. What's it your buddies are fond of saying? FAFO.
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M
I will never turn on CBS again once Colbert goes
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K
Does this mean he'll finally get to shoot the show in HD? Because I swear to God, the production values are so low that I thought CBS had been airing the same handful of repeats since I first started seeing the show come on at 1:30 20ish years ago.
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M
I love Stephen Colbert and I won’t be watching his replacement because Stephen Colbert CANNOT BE REPLACED! I have been a loyal fan since he started 10 years ago and hope to follow him to whatever platform he goes to next. He is not only intelligent and funny but also interesting and knowledgeable of what is going on in the world. He allows me to actually laugh in this current insane world when I have nightmares. He will be missed and whoever made the decision to let him go is a complete idiot that will cost Paramount MILLIONS!!!!
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D
This is the worst thing to happen to TV ever. Been a Colbert fan from day one, and to be replaced with the comedy show is a heart breaker. No burn on Byron, but the JOY of the the Colbert Machine does not compare. I haven't cried for 15 years but I'm crying now and I write this. I will miss Steven, you've been a big part of my happiness, please bless us with a podcast. With all my love and heart to you and Evie.
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S
I’ll be watching not CBS. I’ll watch when the news announces CBS’s bankruptcy.
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J
Nope, nope, nope.
No Colbert = no watching CBS.
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S
Looks like CBS is going to have a lot of people changing the channel after the nightly news.
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C
F that not watching that !! Colbert’s is late tv cbs can go to hell....
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N
I've tried watching Comics unleashed a couple of times and it wasn't funny at all. Good thing Allen's paying for it to be on cuz it certainly isn't going to get any ratings. CBS just sucks now, I don't even watch primetime anymore. Wherever Colbert ends up I'll be there, won't be for awhile thought as he's writing the next Lord of The Rings project.
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B
No one can replace Colbert. CBS lies . I will no longer watch CBS network after May 21st.
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B
I’m totally done with CBS solely because of their being in Trump’s pocket - the cowards don’t deserve my “business”.
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K
I think it’s a shame taking Corbett off. I definitely will not watch anything they replace it with. There gonna lose ratings, but they have to keep that clown trump happy
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M
Now I can get to bed earlier. Kimmel and Fallon are OK, but they are not Colbert. If he turns up somewhere, that's where I will be. Partial goodbye, CBS.
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D
'Funny You Should Ask' is the kind of program you are forced to watch when you visit your grandparents.
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N
And who is this DJT?hmmmm
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P
The triggered TDS victim that feels he needs to type in all caps.
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G
Thank God for Jimmy Kimmel & ABC!
CBS is for primetime & then only a couple of weeknights.
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D
So that IS interesting: CBS is charging Byron Allen for the time slot? I guess they can't exactly lose money that way. Is this charting the course for an all infomercial format on CBS?
I won't likely find out... if Colbert's not on, I have no more need for CBS or Paramount+. Well, okay, maybe in three years when they have a Star Trek worth watching.
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C
It seems that CBS doesn't care about its viewers. I have watched Wheel of Fortune for years and since Ryan Seacrest took over all I get are repeats and when I ask CBS why, I never get answer. I feel the same way about Byron Allen taking over from Colbert
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C
I don't care for Byron Allen
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C
Too bad who is replacing Colbert. I won't watch that show. It is stupid
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J
This is a stupid idea. Instead of giving the night to Byron, CBS should give the night to reruns of their daytime soap operas. Those shows are always in danger of stuff like special reports and other miscellaneous preemptions. Beyond the Gates are one of their new soaps and one of the first (noteable) soaps to premiere in the 2000's, so they should really let these shows shine at night!
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J
This is a stupid idea. Instead of giving the night to Byron, CBS should give the night to reruns of their daytime soap operas. Those shows are always in danger of stuff like special reports and other miscellaneous preemptions. Beyond the Gates are one of their new soaps and one of the first (notable) soaps to premiere in the 2000's, so they should really let these shows shine at night!
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G
He asked for it when he bit the hand that fed him, what would your boss do if you ripped them a new one publicly?
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G
This is a great idea with hopefully no political bs. Hope all late night ,
‘talk’ shows are replaced with something entertaining. So tired of their political views no matter what side of the aisle!
I will give this new show a try,
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J
Byron Allen is a safe choice. CBS has nothing to worry about. No risk. The network knows it will lose ratings, but is betting on a slow bleed. Time will tell.
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P
Goodbye sweetheart , well it's time to go
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G
Byron Allen 🤣🤣
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D
Left wing radical network propaganda is over
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C
Good riddance. Colbert wasn't funny and was just another biased liberal with TDS. Very hypocritical just like other elitists. Now I can watch CBS again.
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L
Why wait til May let him go now BYE
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A
The network would have to pay him the remainder of his contract if they can him now, that's why!
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J
May 21st can't come fast enough.
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K
Neither can 2028. Only difference is that 2028 will be an obvious and immediate improvement, while May 21 just sounds like fatal desperation.
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J
I'll settle for November 2026. That should start a snowball rolling down the hill...
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