Kimmel, Fallon, Gutfeld & More Late Night Ratings: Who Had Huge Drop?

The late-night ratings for the 2025–26 season are in, and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! was the biggest winner in year-over-year growth. But there was bad news for another late night star.

According to LateNighter, citing Nielsen ratings data, Kimmel’s show averaged 2.52 million total viewers and 284,000 viewers in the key Adults 18-49 demographic. This was up a massive 36 percent in total viewers and up 33 percent in the demo compared to the previous year. The TV season runs from fall through spring, so the numbers are from September 2025 to May 2026.

Kimmel’s numbers include his return from a temporary suspension in September 2025, which drove the show’s biggest viewership boost in years. The comedian has sustained strong numbers throughout the season with his refusal to back down from threats from President Donald Trump and FCC chair Brendan Carr.

CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which aired its final-ever episode in May, was also up year over year. The show averaged 2.88 million total viewers and 262,000 demo viewers. This was up 14 percent in total viewers and up 3 percent in the demo compared to the year prior.

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon averaged 1.39 million total viewers and 193,000 demo viewers. This was up about 2 percent in both measured categories compared to the year before.

Elsewhere on broadcast, Late Night with Seth Meyers was up about 2 percent in total viewers (989,000) and 6 percent among adults 18–49 (136,000). And Nightline was up 6 percent in total viewers (957,000) but down 3 percent in the key demo (111,000).

The Daily Show held up well for Comedy Central, averaging 1.07 million viewers and 227,000 demo viewers for the 2025–26 season. This was up 16 percent in total viewers and up 12 percent in the demo.

The biggest drops, though, happened over on cable. Fox News’ Gutfeld! was down 13 percent in total viewers and down 23 percent in the 18-49 demo compared to the same period last year. However, despite the declines, Gutfeld! still led with an average of 3.01 million total viewers in its 10 pm time slot. The show also averaged 211,000 demo viewers.

Bravo’s Watch What Happened Live with Andy Cohen was also down in both measured categories. The show averaged 368,000 total viewers (down 8 percent on last year) and 104,000 demo viewers (down 18 percent on last year).