Who is Byron Allen? Meet the man taking over BuzzFeed, Colbert's slot

Late-night TV isn't the only takeover Byron Allen's got on the books.

In addition to inheriting Stephen Colbert's timeslot on May 22, the media mogul has recently acquired a "majority stake" in BuzzFeed and will become its next Chairman and CEO.

According to a news release from BuzzFeed, Inc., Allen Family Digital, an affiliate of Allen's family office, is set to acquire 40 million shares of the digital media company for $120 million by the end of the month.

Jonah Peretti, BuzzFeed Founder and CEO, said the company was preparing for Allen's arrival by making "significant changes," including cost reductions, setting up BuzzFeed Studios and establishing Tasty as a new independent entity.

Allen plans to expand BuzzFeed and HuffPost into “free-streaming video, audio and user-generated content.”

"As of this moment, with the power of AI, BuzzFeed is officially chasing YouTube to become another premiere free video streaming service," Allen said in a May 11 statement.

Here's everything we know about Byron Allen.

Who is Byron Allen?

Allen, a Los Angeles native, was the youngest comedian to appear on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show" when he made his debut in 1979.

He was a host on NBC's "Real People," an early reality show, and attended film school at the University of Southern California, according to CSQ Magazine.

Allen founded what would become Allen Media Group in 1993, according to the CSQ profile. The company purchased The Weather Channel in 2018. Allen is currently the Chairman and CEO of the media company.

Allen is listed as an executive producer on multiple courtroom shows, including "Justice for the People with Judge Milian," "Mathis Court with Judge Mathis" and "America's Court with Judge Ross," among others.

IMDB also lists Allen as an executive producer for "The Grio Awards", "Byron Allen Presents the Comedy and Music Superfest" and "Who Wants to Date a Comedian".

Allen owns over a dozen ABC, CBS and NBC network-affiliate broadcast television stations around the country, 10 24-hour HD television networks and multiple digital streaming platforms.

When is Byron Allen taking over late-night?

Allen's "block" will begin the day after "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ends its run on May 21.

"Comics Unleashed" and comedy game show "Funny You Should Ask," two shows produced by Allen, will air on the East Coast at 11:35 p.m. and 12:37 a.m., respectively, on CBS.

Back-to-back half-hour episodes of "Comics Unleashed" will be followed by episodes of the "Funny You Should Ask," CBS announced April 6.

Allen purchased the airtime for "Comics Unleashed" and "Funny You Should Ask" from CBS, with Allen Media Group selling advertising on the shows, per The Hollywood Reporter. Variety reports that the deal is through the 2026-2027 television season.

According to Variety, Allen had been lobbying for the slot since Colbert's ouster was announced in July 2025.

"If they’re looking for a show, my hand is already up," he said during an interview at New York’s Advertising Week in October. "Fifty years, I’ve been waiting for this moment. Definitely, I’m going for it."

Contributing: James Powel, Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY