Who is Byron Allen, who just made a US$14 billion bid for Paramount? The former comedian pitched jokes to David Letterman as a teen, and has interviewed stars like J.Lo and Gary Oldman

Apr 18 , 2024

Who is Byron Allen, the comedian who later became a media boss and is now making a billion-dollar bid for Paramount? Photo: @allenmgroup/Instagram

Allen, at 14, was already pitching jokes to David Letterman and Jay Leno, and at 18, had been the youngest comedian to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

His first show interviewed stars such as Gary Oldman, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt and, in 2022, his US$100 million Malibu home was the most spent on a residence by an African-American

Byron Allen has had a long and illustrious career in comedy and entertainment. He started his career when he was only in his teens, and has since built a media empire with his LA-based Allen Media Group.

Now 62, Allen made headlines this year for his mammoth US$14.3 billion offer for Paramount Global. Meet the man who took over the entertainment world on his own terms.

Byron Allen had an early start in entertainment

Byron Allen was pitching jokes to David Letterman by the time he was a teen, and he was scouted by Jimmie “J.J.” Walker of Good Times. Photo: @realbyronallen/Instagram

Allen’s foray into the entertainment world began with his mother, Carolyn Folks. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s, she moved with her only son Allen from Detroit to Los Angeles. Allen was seven at the time. There, Folks enrolled in UCLA’s film department and eventually landed an internship at NBC, where she became a publicist. That meant Allen saw comedians daily at the Burbank Studios, and eventually this led to him deciding to pursue a career in comedy and, later, in entertainment more broadly.

He appeared on The Tonight Show at age 18

Byron Allen Presents The Comedy & Music Superfest in 2023. Photo: @allenmgroup/Instagram

The business tycoon began his career in the entertainment industry at just 14, at West Hollywood club The Comedy Store, where he performed and eventually began pitching jokes to comedy legends like Jay Leno and David Letterman, per Forbes. He also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson – the youngest comedian to ever appear on the show at 18 years old. He was one of the hosts of Real People – a series that saw him travelling the United States and interviewing interesting people.

Establishing his entertainment empire

Byron Allen photographed with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jay Leno and others. Photo: @allenmgroup/Instagram

Armed with an understanding of TV and entertainment as a whole, Allen made his mark behind the scenes by establishing production company CF Entertainment in 1993. He produced his first show, Entertainers with Byron Allen, where he interviewed celebrities for 16 seasons. The series featured Gary Oldman, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt, among others. He chose to syndicate the show for free, only requesting advertising revenue-sharing in exchange, per Forbes.