December Ratings: Colbert, Kimmel Trade Wins as Holidays Curtail Originals

First on LateNighter: With fewer original episodes on the schedule as the year wound down, late-night viewership in December held mostly steady, with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert closing out the fall with another win among total viewers at 11:35 p.m.

According to Nielsen Live+7 ratings data, Colbert averaged 2.77 million total viewers nightly in December, up 4% from November, while Jimmy Kimmel Live! was essentially flat month over month at 2.38 million. NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon also posted gains, rising 6% to 1.37 million viewers.

In the advertiser-coveted 18–49 demo, Jimmy Kimmel Live! remained the most-watched late-night show, with a nightly average of 246,000—though that figure represented a 16% decline from November. Colbert moved in the opposite direction, climbing 6% to 230,000, while Fallon edged up 1% to 199,000.

At 12:37 a.m., NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers regained the upper hand, averaging 991,000 total viewers (up 3%) and 139,000 in the demo (up 8%) across just eight original episodes. ABC’s Nightline held steady among total viewers at 976,000 but dipped 7% in the demo to 124,000.

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, which aired only eight first-run episodes during the month, averaged 924,000 total viewers, up 1% from November, while slipping 5% in the demo to 187,000.

At 10 p.m., Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live surged in December, jumping 43% among total viewers to 430,000 and climbing 39% in the demo to 107,000. Fox News’s Gutfeld!, meanwhile, remained the most-watched show of the hour overall with 2.67 million viewers, slipping modestly from November across both measures.

Year Over Year Gains and Losses

Compared to December 2024, the combined audience across all shows currently tracked by LateNighter was up 7% among total viewers but down 4% in the 18–49 demographic. Year over year, only three shows posted gains across both ratings measures: Jimmy Kimmel Live! (+34% and +27% among total viewers and viewers in the demo, respectively), The Daily Show (+13%, +6%), and Late Night with Seth Meyers (+2%, +9%).

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert also posted year over year gains among total viewers (up 14%) but declined in the demo (down 15%). Also splitting gains and losses were The Tonight Show (-2%, +10%), Nightline (+1%, -18%), and Watch What Happens Live (+2%, -16%).

Gutfeld! on Fox News was the only show tracked by LateNighter to lose audience year over year across both measures, declining 9% among total viewers and 28% among adults 18–49.

Complete ratings charts for December 2025 follow below.

Note: Monthly ratings averages include only first-run episodes. Time period listed is most common airtime for each show.

Live+ 7 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)

Live+ 7 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)

Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.