Allen reveals Johnny Carson allowed him to strike Tonight Show set weekly for his own show
"They said he'll never do it. I said just do me a favor. Just one favor. Ask him and tell him the request is coming from me. He said, 'Oh. Let the kid strike my set.'"
About this episode
Bill Maher sits down with billionaire media mogul Byron Allen for a revealing conversation spanning Allen's remarkable journey from poverty in 1960s Detroit to controlling a media empire. The episode opens with Allen recounting his harrowing childhood experience of the 1968 Detroit riots following Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, witnessing military occupation of his neighborhood at age seven with tanks and armed troops in the streets. This trauma prompted his family's permanent move to Los Angeles, where Allen's life would intersect with comedy history in extraordinary ways. At just 14 years old, Allen began writing jokes alongside struggling comedians Jay Leno and David Letterman, getting paid $25 per joke while the future late-night hosts earned $200 weekly. He describes Letterman living in a closet-sized room doubting his career choices, and the intimate comedy world of 1970s Los Angeles. Allen details his unique relationship with Johnny Carson, who became an unexpected mentor through carefully orchestrated parking lot conversations at NBC. Carson's advice that he was "doing a comedy show, not a talk show" fundamentally shaped Allen's career approach. In a stunning revelation, Allen discloses he now controls BuzzFeed and HuffPost with 52% ownership after years of negative coverage from both outlets. Maher contributes his own candid admissions, including his retirement from standup touring despite substantial earnings because private jet reliability deteriorated due to cryptocurrency millionaires flooding the rental market. The conversation covers their shared Catholic upbringings, philosophy on wealth without materialism, and the stark generational differences in how success is achieved. Allen emphasizes his mother's pivotal role, still working as his producing partner after she convinced NBC to create an internship program specifically for her when they had no job openings.
Key takeaways
- Byron Allen reveals he now controls 52% of BuzzFeed including HuffPost after years of their negative coverage toward both him and Bill Maher.
- Allen witnessed Detroit's 1968 MLK assassination riots at age seven, seeing military tanks and armed troops occupy his neighborhood before his family fled to Los Angeles permanently.
- At 14 years old, Allen wrote jokes with struggling comedians Jay Leno and David Letterman, earning $25 per joke while they made $200 weekly.
- Johnny Carson personally mentored Allen through parking lot conversations at NBC, advising him to focus on comedy over celebrity interviews, fundamentally shaping Allen's career.
- Carson allowed Allen the unprecedented privilege of dismantling the Tonight Show set weekly to install his own show's set in the same studio.
- Bill Maher retired from standup touring despite substantial earnings because private jet reliability collapsed due to cryptocurrency millionaires flooding the rental market.
- Allen's mother convinced NBC to create an internship program specifically for her when no jobs existed, demonstrating the persistence that shaped his success philosophy.