CBS flips late-night economics: $55 million from Colbert exit and Allen slot

CBS says it will net about $55 million by canceling Stephen Colbert’s Late Show and leasing the timeslot to Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed for a flat $15 million, arguing the move cuts a $40 million annual loss and avoids reliance on performance-based ad revenue; Colbert’s final run drew more viewers than Allen’s show, which debuted at about 1 million. The piece also covers Trump-supported events prompting artist defections from the Freedom 250 State Fair, Ronny Chieng’s blunt Harvard AI critique, and ABC’s early FCC renewal filing amid DEI scrutiny, with Disney arguing the move threatens free and independent journalism.