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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon claimed the top spot among broadcast late-night talk shows the week of June 21, 2026, leading the 11:35 p.m. race in both total viewers and adults 18–49 as Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired repeats during the first week of Jimmy Kimmel’s summer break.
According to Nielsen Live+3 ratings data, the NBC late-night show averaged 1.48 million total viewers (+14 percent) and 186,000 adults 18–49 (+1 percent) across four original episodes and one repeat.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which aired repeats all week, averaged 1.42 million total viewers (–44 percent) and 150,000 adults 18–49 (–45 percent). The next test will come next week, when the JKL returns with guest host Tiffany Haddish while Fallon remains in repeats.
On CBS, the network’s Byron Allen-produced late-night block remained largely stable in its fifth full week. Averaging its two half-hour telecasts, Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen drew 700,000 total viewers and 85,000 adults 18–49 across the 11:35 p.m. hour.
Averaging its two half-hours, Funny You Should Ask at 12:37 a.m. delivered 480,000 total viewers and 77,000 adults 18–49 across the 12:35 a.m. hour.
ABC’s Nightline averaged 857,000 total viewers (–15 percent) and 75,000 adults 18–49 (–30 percent) across five original broadcasts, while NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, which aired repeats all week, averaged 692,000 total viewers (–24 percent) and 86,000 adults 18–49 (–15 percent).
Switching to cable, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show averaged 1.29 million total viewers (+17 percent) and 255,000 adults 18–49 (flat) across three original episodes–one hosted by Jon Stewart, and two by Josh Johnson.
Gutfeld! on Fox News averaged 2.80 million total viewers (–4 percent) across five original episodes. The show, which airs at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT also drew 186,000 adults 18–49 (+12 percent).
Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live averaged 257,000 total viewers (+13 percent) and 66,000 adults 18–49 (+11 percent) across five original episodes.
Complete ratings charts for the week of June 21, 2026, follow below.
Note: Time period listed is the most common airtime for each show.
Live+ 3 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Last Wk | |
| 10:00 PM | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† 5 first-run episodes | 5.56 | 2,800 | -4% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)* 5 first-run episodes | 0.53 | 257 | +13% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* 3 first-run episodes | 3.69 | 1,292 | +17% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 5 repeats | 5.30 | 1,415 | -44% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 4 first-run episodes, 1 repeat | 5.31 | 1,477 | +14% |
| Comics Unleashed (CBS)* 5 first-run episodes | 2.68 | 822 | +2% |
| 12:05 AM | |||
| Comics Unleashed (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.45 | 577 | -1% |
| 12:35 AM | |||
| Funny You Should Ask (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.58 | 504 | +7% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* 5 first-run episodes | 4.50 | 857 | -15% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 5 repeats | 3.90 | 692 | -24% |
| 1:05 AM | |||
| Funny You Should Ask (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.85 | 456 | +10% |
Live+ 3 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Last Wk | |
| 10:00 PM | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† 5 first-run episodes | 1.61 | 186 | +12% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)* 5 first-run episodes | 0.63 | 66 | +11% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* 3 first-run episodes | 3.38 | 255 | 0% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 5 repeats | 2.60 | 150 | -45% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 4 first-run episodes, 1 repeat | 3.01 | 186 | +1% |
| Comics Unleashed (CBS)* 5 first-run episodes | 1.33 | 92 | -11% |
| 12:05 AM | |||
| Comics Unleashed (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.55 | 78 | -2% |
| 12:35 AM | |||
| Funny You Should Ask (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.93 | 81 | +33% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* 5 first-run episodes | 1.82 | 75 | -30% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 5 repeats | 2.35 | 86 | -15% |
| 1:05 AM | |||
| Funny You Should Ask (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.18 | 72 | +37% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
Without competition!
It’s really sad what the Tonight Show has become. I’m surprised NBC has let it go on this long with Fallon at the helm, although they seem indifferent to late night at best these days. And it seems like Lorne has always been willing to stick his neck out for Fallon, so I’m sure that’s a factor.
Fallon isn’t without his talents (he’s a good sketch performer when he’s not giggling and also a solid musician), but the two main things a late-night talk show host are expected to be good at is delivering a monologue and interviewing guests. Fallon absolutely stinks at both. He’s just not the right kind of host for the Tonight Show and never was. Unfortunately, I think it’s probably too late to save the Tonight Show. It died when Conan was forced out…
Fallon annoys more than he entertains! Of course, Conan should have been the host of the Tonight Show, but is not because Jay Leno is a low life weasel with no honor in him!
Nepo baby David Ellison and his pet cow, Bari Weiss (we don’t claim her by the way!) sure have done a number on the once-great CBS. CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings, and the late-night time slots are all in a distant third place and fading fast. Arguably the greatest institution in American television news, 60 Minutes, has been gutted, and the nearly 100-year-old CBS News Radio is also kaput.
Is Byron Allen the least-talented person to ever command a network late-night time slot? He makes the Pat Sajak show look like prime Carson in comparison. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I’ll take a reboot of James Corden over the uncomfortable, hackey slop that is Comics Leashed. He’s not funny either, but at least he can sing.
Gutfeld is on premium cable. ABC and NBC, are basic cable and really FREE
If Gutfeld was on FREE tv, it would be cleaning up.
You know it, THEY know it, EVERYBODY knows this. It’s like the inflated ratings for CNN, when they were forced shown at airports.
Gutfool can only exist within the Fox News bubble of ignorance! Outside of it? No one would go near that walking pile of radioactive waste!
Put down that meth you’re smoking!
Gutfeld gets a ratings bump because there are a portion of Americans who literally leave their televisions on Fox News ALL day. His ratings are impressive, but you really think he would do BETTER ratings if he was on at 11:35pm on Fox or CBS competing directly against Kimmel and Fallon in a later time slot? My guess is he would probably beat Fallon and be behind Kimmel in that time slot on an OTA network. I get that Gutfeld fans want to make him out to be Johnny Carson because they’re trying to win some kind of perceived culture war against all of us evil non-MAGA folks (hint: the enemy is corrupt politicians and billionaires, not your neighbor who doesn’t wear a red hat like you do), but this is not an apples-to-apples comparison at all.
In rare instances like this being apolitical, when the industry changed to not only being political but whack job neoliberal, cooked him.
It doesn’t really matter anyway because his contract is guaranteed and he’s not getting an extension after 2028 anyway because the late night talk show industry will wrap up by then.
We’ll take your word on it!🙄