Weekly Ratings: NBA Finals Boost Kimmel, Comics Unleashed Sheds More Viewers

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With Stephen Colbert gone from 11:35 and two NBA Finals lead-ins boosting ABC, Jimmy Kimmel Live! kicked off June with its highest-rated week since the immediate aftermath of Kimmel’s suspension last fall.

According to Nielsen Live+3 ratings data for the week of June 1, 2026, Kimmel averaged 2.89 million total viewers (+19 percent) and 516,000 adults 18–49 (+105 percent) nightly across four original episodes and one repeat.

The week’s biggest lift came from Kimmel’s post-NBA Finals episodes. Wednesday’s post-Game 1 broadcast drew 3.98 million total viewers, making it the show’s second-highest-rated episode of the season by that measure. Friday’s post-Game 2 episode drew 3.38 million viewers, ranking fifth for the season. In the demo, the two episodes swapped places: Friday’s episode drew 846,000 adults 18–49, while Wednesday’s drew 751,000, ranking second and third for the season, respectively.

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which had benefited from Western Conference Finals lead-ins the week prior, fell back to 1.37 million total viewers (–3 percent) and 164,000 adults 18–49 (–39 percent) across four original episodes and one repeat.

On CBS, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen continued to soften in its second full week occupying the former Late Show hour. The show’s 11:35 p.m. half-hour averaged 786,000 total viewers (–11 percent) and 80,000 adults 18–49 (–15 percent), while its 12:05 a.m. telecast averaged 520,000 viewers (–12 percent) and 57,000 adults 18–49 (–8 percent).

Taken together, the new one-hour Comics Unleashed block averaged 653,000 total viewers and 69,000 adults 18–49, down from 737,000 and 78,000 the week prior. The block remains well below the recent benchmark set by Colbert, whose final full quarter on CBS averaged 2.70 million total viewers and 233,000 adults 18–49.

CBS’ new 12:35 a.m. entry, Funny You Should Ask, also declined in its second full week. Its first half-hour averaged 440,000 total viewers (–5 percent) and 53,000 adults 18–49 (–1 percent), followed by 379,000 viewers (–5 percent) and 43,000 adults 18–49 (–18 percent) at 1:05 a.m.

At 12:37 a.m., ABC’s Nightline got an NBA Finals boost of its own, jumping to 1.17 million total viewers (+24 percent) and 214,000 adults 18–49 (+159 percent). NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, returning from a week of repeats, averaged 897,000 total viewers (+17 percent) and 103,000 adults 18–49 (–16 percent).

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show returned from a week off with four original episodes, averaging 1.04 million total viewers and 201,000 adults 18–49. Week-to-week comparisons are unavailable, as Comedy Central aired alternate programming in the show’s time slot the prior week.

Elsewhere on cable, Fox News’ Gutfeld! averaged 2.97 million total viewers (+3 percent) and 213,000 adults 18–49 (+36 percent) across five original episodes, while Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live averaged 353,000 total viewers (+3 percent) and 103,000 adults 18–49 (–9 percent).

Complete ratings charts for the week of June 1, 2026, follow below.

Note: Time period listed is the most common airtime for each show.

Live+ 3 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)

Live+ 3 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)

Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.