CBS has taken a major hit after “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the popular talk show, was canceled. According to data from Nielsen, on Monday, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon shows reportedly dominated the 11:35 p.m. slot. Kimmel and Fallon aired fresh episodes for the first time since Colbert’s departure. Meanwhile, CBS has launched a new program, “Comics Unleashed” by Byron Allen, in the same time slot. However, it did not perform as expected, leading to a significant setback for the network.
CBS fails to dominate the talk show sphere after Stephen Colbert’s departure
CBS has failed to dominate the talk show landscape after Stephen Colbert’s departure. The show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” was cancelled in July 2025. It has now been replaced with “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.” However, a report by The Daily Beast suggests that the new talk show failed to meet expectations and performed poorly compared to Colbert’s show. On Monday, when Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon aired fresh episodes, they drew significant viewership.
Kimmel’s show recorded a staggering 2.185 million viewers, whereas Fallon’s show reached 1.301 million total viewers. Both figures showed an increase compared to last year. However, Allen’s show failed to impress audiences and received only 628,000 total viewers.
Allen has purchased the 11:35 p.m. time slot from CBS and is responsible for all production expenses for the show. In exchange, he has the right to sell the advertising himself. As a result, the impact of low ratings falls primarily on Allen rather than CBS.
CBS earlier said in a statement that they are “proud” to have a partnership with Allen. The statement continued, “With this ‘time buy’ model, we have shifted an hour that was losing roughly $40 million annually to $15 million in profit—a $55 million swing.”
CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show in July 2025, citing a “financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” Colbert hosted the show for nearly 11 years, with the final episode airing on May 21, 2026.
