Kimmel, Colbert, Gutfeld & More Late-Night Ratings Revealed: Who’s on Top?
What To Know
- ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fox News’ Gutfeld! were the only major late-night shows to post gains in both total viewers and the key 18-49 demo in 2025.
- CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon both saw declines in viewers and demo ratings compared to 2024.
- Nielsen’s recent change in rating methodology may have impacted year-over-year comparisons for all late-night programs.
The late-night television ratings for 2025 are in, and it was a good year for ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fox News’ Gutfeld!, both of which posted gains in total viewers and the key demo.
On the flip side, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ended the year down on their 2024 averages, with significant drops in the demo. NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers and CBS’s After Midnight (which ended its two-season run in June 2025) also dropped in viewers and demo.
It should be noted that Nielsen changed its rating methodology last year, so the way numbers are measured compared to 2024 could be skewed.
According to LateNighter, citing Nielsen Live+7 late-night ratings data for 2025, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was the only 11:35 pm show to post gains in both total viewers and the key Adults 18-49 demo. The show averaged 2,013 million viewers (up 14 percent on 2024) and 230,000 demo viewers (up 4 percent on last year).
Jimmy Kimmel Live! became headline news last September when ABC temporarily suspended Kimmel following comments he made on-air about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He returned less than a week later and saw an immediate increase in viewership.
It wasn’t such positive news for the other 11:35 pm shows. The Late Show, which is set to air its final episode in May, averaged 2,545 million viewers (higher than Kimmel but down one percent on 2024) and 229,000 demo viewers (down 19 percent on last year).
The Tonight Show, meanwhile, averaged 1,319 million viewers (down four percent on 2024) and 183,000 demo viewers (down 17 percent on the prior year).
Fox News’ Gutfeld! was the big winner at 10 pm, averaging 3,336 million viewers (up 21 percent on 2024) and 246,000 demo viewers (up two percent on the year before). The numbers are particularly notable given that Gutfeld! airs on cable while its above rivals air on broadcast networks.
In the 11 pm slot, The Daily Show averaged 931,000 viewers (down 12 percent on 2024) and 204,000 demo viewers (up four percent on last year).
Late Night with Seth Meyers led the 12:37 am slot, though its numbers were down on 2024. The show averaged 945,000 viewers (down five percent on 2024) and 123,000 demo viewers (down 19 percent).
Also at 12:37 am, ABC’s Nightline finished the year with an average of 898,000 viewers (up four percent) and 108,000 demo viewers (down 14 percent), while CBS’s After Midnight averaged 660,000 viewers (down eight percent) and 90,000 demo viewers (down 42 percent).
Conversation38 Comments
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C
I refuse to watch Kimmel at all. I was a devoted fan, but he just has such hate and negativity spuing forth every night in his monologue. I try not to hold political views against anyone, we all believe what we believe, but his antagonism is all about Trump and republican hate. I don't hate anyone, and especially for their beliefs, but don't preach to me every single night with hurtful garbage and then try to enjoy a guest I'd like to see. I can't watch it period, I just want to shake him and say Jimmy, just entertain and keep the bs out of it. We get it all day, every day we need relief!
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R
Gutfeld is the funniest show on TV when I watch that show my stomach's hurting from laughing so much the other late night shows aren't even funny
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H
Jimmy Kimmel should be fired! He is out of control as evidenced by his recent comments regarding Melania Trump having a "glow of an expectant widow". He creates hate instead of comedy or laughter.
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C
Kimmel, Colbert, Gutfeld & More
Late-Night Ratings Revealed:
Who’s on Top?
Greg Guttfeld, of course!
Kimmel and Colbert are total Bottoms
Especially Crybaby Kimmel
What a pooh-see
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T
Look in the mirror before you talk about bottoms or crybabies
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O
You lost.
Keep screaming!
🤣
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C
Typical leftist wingnut that does not know what a fascist is
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A
I think all late night hosts could take education from Carson. At his peak he had 17 million viewers and in the late 80s he had 6-8 million viewers. Carson focused on entertainment and not politics. Just like sports, most people watch late night to be entertained and take a break from news and politics.
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S
8:00pm Pacific iss 11:00pm Eastern. Late night
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J
Sorry, it' comes on at 10pm eastern. Prime time.
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M
I really wish you guys -- and it's not just you, but all TV news outlets -- would stop lumping Gutfeld in with the late-night shows. It's not a late-night show; it airs during prime time. That absolutely has an effect on its ratings. It may have a late-night format, but the timeslot makes a huge difference.
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E
I was just scrolling down to make the same complaint, so thank you for that. The audience available during prime time is considerably larger than during late night, and yet these outlets keep ignoring that. It's very deceptive.
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S
Not to mention Greg is actually funny and the other guys are a bunch of angry has-been Democrats
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C
Also, the network late night shows air at 11:35 on both coasts - Late night everywhere. But Fox News doesn't have a delayed time zone feed like the networks do, so Gutfeld airs at 7pm Pacific, 8pm Mountain, 9pm Central, and 10pm Eastern.
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O
A news cable channel
VS
The largest
entertainment networks
with legacy media support.
You crying? 🤣
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O
Gutfeld is on a
NEWS CABLE CHANNEL
(not entertainment channel)
VS
The leftist goofballs are on
the LARGEST NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS.
And still losing badly. 🤗
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A
Gutfeld is the ONLY one I will watch because...drum roll! He is actual funny not stupid thinking he is funny like the others have become!
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M
On cable, ur clueless. think again. The audience is way smaller.
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I
You realize that when Carson was on there were two late night talk shows, and in later years one of them was Nightline, basically the late night equivalent of a Sunday morning show.
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Z
In excess of 2 and a half billion viewers? I think you do not understand what "2,545 million" means. 🙄
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F
See
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H
Over 3 million for Gutfeld & all the others aren’t even close. Love Jimmy Fallon & he’s still funny.
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G
WRONG! 8PM PST ... 9PM MST ... 10PM CST ... 11PM EST. Pacific -> Mountain -> Central -> Eastern. 4 timezones. Get it?
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S
10 pm isnt primetime you tree hugging liberal
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J
Watched Gutfeld a few times he makes political jokes just like the rest, only so many Biden depends jokes you can make before he should come up with new material. Gutfeld is on an hour before the rest of the late shows and doesn't compete for the same audience. Fallen, Colbert, Kimmel compete for a share of 6 million viewers. Most of Colbert viewers will move to Kimmel and make him number 1.
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I
Apples and oranges. Guttfeld is only on at 10 o'clock because there's no competition. Put him on at 11:30 and see what happens.
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H
Wouldn’t make a difference except lower viewership for others. We don’t want to watch a comedian who spews hate - It gets old.
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M
Gutfeld is on cable. Quality wins out.
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I
He didn't create the way people feel about the first couple. He just reflects it.
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H
Sorry but Gutfeld! is NOT a late night show. He is in prime time at 10pm. He needs to go head to with the others at 11:35pm
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H
Wouldn’t make a difference. Many record to watch it later. He does make jokes & constantly makes fun of himself. Tyson is a riot!
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T
" ... those who aactually know how ..." As opposed to those who ACTUALLY know how to spell. Maybe an honest staff member can inform the pet-a-feel that the NY times has increased on line subs, Kimmel has high ratings, and Melania should pray for all the 'expectant widows' of the Iran killings.
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H
Sorry but Gutfeld! is NOT a late night show. He is in prime time at 10pm. He needs to go head to with the others at 11:35pm
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H
Sorry but Gutfeld! is NOT a late night show. He is in prime time at 10pm. He needs to go head to with the others at 11:35pm
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A
I'm sure Colbert's numbers will rise in May as his final show gets closer and closer...
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G
Gutshit is a Gump shill touting the fascist lies
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D
And this why and the other shows are failing cause it’s not funny
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T
Typical reply from a lefty Troll. When faced with facts, all they have left is name calling using worn out parroted script with the same inflammatory words to produce an identical narrative, which I suppose makes them feel like that line will actually have any affect on those who aactually know how to read, and pay attention to what is really going on.
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