The Daily Show closed out 2025 with its strongest performance in years, delivering its highest-rated year since 2020 among adults 18–49 and its biggest share since 2015, Comedy Central announced Monday, citing Nielsen Live+3 ratings data.
Year over year, The Daily Show posted double-digit growth in the demo. Its average 18–49 rating rose 16 percent compared to 2024 (0.423 vs. 0.366), while its share jumped 25 percent (2.76 vs. 2.20), marking its strongest competitive position in a decade.
The show’s momentum extended beyond linear television. Per Comedy Central, The Daily Show delivered its biggest year in franchise history across social media, generating 6.7 billion views, up 72 percent year over year, along with 418.8 million engagements (+45 percent) and 11.2 billion total minutes consumed (+44 percent).
The social gains come as The Daily Show continues to lean into a multiplatform strategy, with clips from the show frequently outperforming much of the late-night field online. In fact, as LateNighter recently reported, Daily Show clips accounted for 15 of the 20 most-viewed YouTube clips across all of late night in 2025.
The Daily Show returns for the first episode of its 31st season tonight, with Monday night host Jon Stewart set to host a particularly newsy guest in Senator Mark Kelly, who was censured by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier today over his participation in a video last November in which he and other elected military veterans reminded active-duty service members of their obligation to refuse illegal orders.
The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.
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