I’ve been keeping close tabs on the end of The Late Show, as well as its replacement Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, which has already shifted into the 11:35 timeslot on the 2026 TV schedule. While it’s been pretty heavily speculated that CBS will be saving a slew of money by saying goodbye to the late night show (and its massive staff), I hadn’t fully comprehended the network is also making money by replacing it with Byron Allen.
Let’s take a look at the numbers. First and foremost, and prior to this CBS had not confirmed this, rumors reported The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was losing $40 million a year before it went off of the air. That’s a hefty chunk of change, and one Jimmy Kimmel scoffed at. Yet, a separate study with hard numbers does indicate the the major networks are making less and less money off of advertisements and seeing a shortfall when it comes to late night shows.
