Note: LateNighter generally posts late night quarterly live-plus-seven quarterly ratings on a seven (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.
After a strong fourth quarter of 2024, late-night ratings came tumbling back down to earth the first three months of 2025, with seven of the nine shows we track shedding viewers. In fact—strictly speaking—the only shows in positive territory for the quarter aren’t actually late-night shows (since both air before 11pm): Gutfeld! and Watch What Happens Live.
As we’ve previously reported, Q1 saw Greg Gutfeld‘s Fox News program log its highest ratings ever, growing its nightly average by 14% among total viewers and 9% among viewers in the key 18-49 demographic compared to Q4 2024. Andy Cohen and Bravo also had reason to celebrate, with Watch What Happens Live up 5% among all viewers and 3% among younger viewers.
At 11:35pm, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert once again took the top spot, with Jimmy Kimmel Live! coming in second among total viewers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon edging out Kimmel among viewers in the demo. Compared to Q4, all three 11:35pm shows saw similar decreases of -7 to -8% among total viewers; things were less even among younger viewers, with Fallon down -14%, Colbert slidding -17%, and Kimmel posting the greatest losses at -24%.
In the late-late slot at 12:37am, NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers took the top prize across both key ratings measurements, while Nightline and After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson split second place, with the ABC News show drawing more total viewers and the Taylor Tomlinson-hosted CBS show drawing more viewers in the demo. Like their lead-ins, all three shows in the late-late slot shed a similar percentage of total viewers (between -8 and -9%) vs Q4; among younger viewers Meyers fared the best at -8%, while Nightline was down -28% and After Midnight was down -30%.
For its part, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show saw only modest losses for the quarter, down -1% among total viewers, and down -2% among viewers in the demo.
Complete ratings charts for Q1 2025 follow below.
Note: Quarterly ratings averages include only first-run episodes. Time period listed is most common airtime for show.
Live+ 7 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Last Qtr | |
| 10:00 PM | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† 57 first-run episodes | 7.45 | 3,609 | 14% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo) 55 first-run episodes | 0.81 | 406 | 5% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* 41 first-run episodes | 2.83 | 1,015 | -1% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 42 first-run episodes | 6.65 | 1,821 | -7% |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) 42 first-run episodes | 8.80 | 2,394 | -8% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 45 first-run episodes | 4.42 | 1,210 | -8% |
| 12:37 PM | |||
| Nightline (ABC) * 61 first-run episodes | 4.07 | 841 | -9% |
| After Midnight (CBS) 31 first-run episodes | 3.47 | 647 | -8% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 32 first-run episodes | 4.91 | 938 | -8% |
Live+ 7 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Last Qtr | |
| 10:00 PM | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† 57 first-run episodes | 3.27 | 304 | 9% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo) 55 first-run episodes | 1.25 | 122 | 3% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* 41 first-run episodes | 2.73 | 194 | -2% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 42 first-run episodes | 3.18 | 178 | -24% |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) 42 first-run episodes | 4.28 | 237 | -17% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 45 first-run episodes | 3.20 | 180 | -14% |
| 12:37 PM | |||
| Nightline (ABC) * 61 first-run episodes | 2.22 | 98 | -28% |
| After Midnight (CBS) 31 first-run episodes | 2.73 | 108 | -30% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 32 first-run episodes | 3.43 | 140 | -8% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
People who watch Gutfeld are ones who eat out of a toilet!
I guess everybody’s eating out of the toilet. Cause once again he has the highest ratings of all the late night shows!
And, as a huge toilet eater, you must be very proud of yourself of dragging America’s intelligence and cultural refinement down the sewer, imbecile!
7%-9% of viewership share isn’t “Everybody”. Most people don’t watch live TV anymore unless its live sports or a once in in a while show like the Oscars or Country Music Awards.
Streaming content on your phone or other connected device on whenever and where ever you want is how pretty what “Everybody” is doing.
Well, that puts “Gutfeld” number “1” in late night tv and just so you know, I’m 70 yrs young and I love watching “Gutfeld and his merry band of folks
same here
Yes, the world already knows you’re retarded!
Because you have a sub zero IQ and you think Drumpf is your daddy, Karen! (what an appropriate name!)
No mystery why you don’t use your name
CULTfield is NOT a late night show! Comparing a show with a 10:00 start to another that doesn’t start until 11:35 or 12:37 is like comparing apples to oranges (or Fox “News” propaganda channel to an ACTUAL news network).
Gutfeld still leads the late night shows and its cable not network. Great show funny and thought provoking.
For loser amoebas, like you, stupid!
You’re a hateful little c*nt. No matter, your kind will once again be pushed into hiding under those rocks that once kept you safe. Weak little man.
You’re not crying hard enough for me, Crab Smasher! Tell me what you really think of me, now that I’m living inside your head, rent free!🦀😈
One day someone will be able to look at this trend and understand Americans are fed up with the left and their propaganda machine.
I used to look forward to Jimmy Fallon… but now even he’s drunk with the liberal rhetoric! Kimmel and Colbert need to read the tea leaves… They’re all in the minority now and maybe losing money is what they’re intending…
One day, you MAGAtards are going to realize that everything you all believed in was a big fat lie, and that you’re going to take a very hard look at yourselves and find out you’ve led a loser life.
And the whole lot of ya’s are just finding that out now!
Enjoy living your days as a pariah, filth!
As an Agent, primarily in FM Radio AOR type music, (Stones, AC/DC). I talk to lots of Agents in TV. The guest lineup , I am told, makes good ratings!
Jimmy Kimmel is considered toxic right now, when you throw out Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and Arnold Schwartzneiger in ratings review while droppining 24% 1srQ over 4thQ – start taking your stuff home, I would not hire him to host a dog show, he would abuse them.
the projection is strong with you
Like the Fox news Trump ass kissing machine isn’t propaganda. Both sides are equally as guilty. People want unbiased news and media not taken out of context like MSNBC, FOX and CNN project. I suggest watching an outside of the US foreign news source where FACTS and not OPINIONS take up most of the time. I am tired of the “experts” telling me how to think.
The late night talk shows are variety shows meant to entertain not provide you with the news or opinions. The Jimmy’s and Stephen’s WRITERS want to make people laugh. If you cannot laugh at your president (Whether it’s the Toxicity of Trump or Sleepy Joe Biden) or yourself; then you are not and FREE American, you are a loyal subject of the STATE.
Unwatchable
All of them, woke is broke.
The Woke left or the Woke Right? Both have a version of WOKE. And both are OVER PLAYED.
(sigh) You’re fighting with strangers on the internet about *politics*?? Oof. Don’t be a sheep. There’s a reason why The Why Files has more In-The-Demo viewers than all of these shows… …combined.
Stop hating each other. You have much more in common than you think. You’re being manipulated by propaganda. None of these shows tell the truth. None of them. Oh, did I mention TWF outdraws all of these shows combined? There’s a reason for that. Come find out what it is.
I watch all of these only on YouTube so they’re not counting my vote and many others
Viewership does not count as a VOTE. It only matters to the sponsors who fund the programs you watch.
Please speak normal English — or explain other terms. What is “demo”?
J. Fallon sure had lost a lot. The coveted age category was way down. I thinking he ends up with a podcast and not much else.
great
why can’t you give a straight answer! who has a larger viewership between all late night programming between abc,nbc,CBS including fox