Comedian and Talk Show host Arsenio Hall will soon return to late night after two decades' away.

A quarter-century ago, he broke the late-night color wall, but in many ways his show was  color-blind. Inclusiveness is his goal again.

He says he's returning to the late-night wars on September 9th with the premiere of "The Arsenio Hall Show" (syndicated; check local listings for time and channel).

And he's ready to go.

It was in 1987 that a then-unknown comedian with a strange first name, briefly stepped in for Joan Rivers' short-lived Fox talk show. He was an instant hit and became the hip alternative to NBC's "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.

Then, in January 1989, he debuted with his own syndicated late-night show against Carson. He proved a formidable rival with his party atmosphere. There was the "Dog Pound" that greeted him with "woofs" and waving fists in the air. He also made a point of hosting a wide range of guests, including presidential candidate Bill Clinton and basketball great Magic Johnson shortly after announcing he was HIV positive.

But by 1994, Hall was facing new competition from "Tonight" host Jay Leno and David Letterman on CBS. With ratings slipping, he announced he was leaving the late-night arena.

In the years that followed, he kept a low profile. He tried a sitcom. He hosted "Star Search" for awhile. He co-starred on a CBS drama "Martial Law" for a couple of years.

He also devoted himself to his son, Arsenio Jr., now 13, whose mother is Hall's ex, former manager, and down-the-street neighbor Cheryl Bonacci.

"I love being a dad," he said. "When kids got together at Chuck E. Cheese, there were a lot of mothers - and me."

But Hall yearned to return to late night. In June 2012 he announced it was happening.

"People say, 'How did you know when to do it?' Several times before I had tried!"

False starts included a meeting with studio bigwigs he skipped because his son was sick. Or the nail in a piece of sushi that broke his tooth the night before an all-important guest-hosting gig.

"Signs like that," Hall said, "seemed to mean I wasn't ready yet."

Now he's sure he's ready.