Weekly Ratings: Kimmel Scores Election-Week Highs as Fallon, Meyers Gain on Friday Originals

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Election week was a good one for Jimmy Kimmel—in more ways than one.

According to Nielsen Live+3 ratings for the week of November 1, 2026, Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 2.795 million total viewers, up 6 percent from the previous week, and 310,000 adults 18–49, up 8 percent. That put the ABC show well ahead of NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which averaged 1.365 million viewers (+5 percent) and 177,000 in the demo (+1 percent).

Kimmel was also the only broadcast late-night host to air a new episode on Election Night, albeit about 20 minutes later than usual. Tuesday’s show drew 421,000 adults 18–49, the largest demo audience for any episode among the shows we track last week, while Wednesday’s post-election episode drew the week’s biggest total audience at 3.3 million viewers.

The midterm election coincided with demo gains for three of late night’s most frequent Trump critics. Comedy Central’s The Daily Show jumped 20 percent among adults 18–49, while Jimmy Kimmel Live! rose 8 percent and Late Night with Seth Meyers gained 3 percent. Scheduling differences make direct comparisons imperfect, however, particularly with Fallon and Meyers both preempted Tuesday and airing unusual Friday originals instead.

Those Friday originals paid off for NBC. The Tonight Show grew its Friday audience by 29 percent in total viewers and 33 percent among adults 18–49 compared to the previous Friday, while Late Night was up 22 percent and 43 percent, respectively. Even Kimmel’s Friday repeat of his Election Night episode saw gains, rising 20 percent in total viewers and 17 percent in the demo week-over-week.

For the full week, Meyers averaged 1.093 million total viewers, up 13 percent, and 144,000 adults 18–49, up 3 percent. ABC’s Nightline, which was also preempted Tuesday for election coverage, averaged 1.146 million viewers (+9 percent) and 150,000 adults 18–49 (+20 percent).

On CBS, averaging its two half-hours, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen drew approximately 806,000 total viewers, up 2 percent week-over-week, and 100,000 adults 18–49, up 4 percent, across the 11:35 p.m. hour. The first half-hour aired three originals and one repeat, while the second consisted entirely of repeats.

Funny You Should Ask, meanwhile, averaged approximately 495,000 total viewers across its 12:35 a.m. hour, down 7 percent week-over-week, while declining 22 percent in the demo to 52,000 adults 18–49. Three of the week’s first-half-hour episodes were originals, while the later half-hour remained entirely in repeats.

Switching to cable, Fox News’ Gutfeld! averaged 1.981 million total viewers, down 5 percent, and 131,000 adults 18–49, down 10 percent across four original episodes. The show was preempted Tuesday by election coverage.

The Daily Show averaged 958,000 total viewers, up 4 percent, and 190,000 adults 18–49, up 20 percent across four original episodes, with Jon Stewart, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, and Jordan Klepper each taking a turn behind the anchor desk. As is typically the case, Stewart’s Monday episode delivered the show’s largest total audience of the week at 1.2 million, while Kosta’s Wednesday post-election edition drew its biggest demo audience with 201,000.

And Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live averaged 296,000 total viewers (+10 percent) and 83,000 adults 18–49 (+17 percent) across five first-run episodes.

A reminder that linear ratings represent only one slice of the viewing audience, with additional viewing taking place on streaming services, YouTube, and other social media platforms.

Complete Nielsen Live+3 ratings for the week of November 1, 2026, follow below.

Live+3 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)

Live+3 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)

Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.