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Late night’s ratings hierarchy held steady to start 2026, as two cable entries posted the quarter’s strongest gains.
According to Nielsen Live+7 ratings data, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert remained the most-watched program at 11:35 p.m. in total viewers, averaging 2.70 million across 40 first-run episodes—flat compared to the prior quarter but enough to comfortably maintain its lead.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! followed with 2.53 million viewers, up 6 percent from Q4, while NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon held essentially even at 1.33 million.
While the 11:35 p.m. broadcast race saw little movement, the quarter’s momentum came earlier in the night.
Fox News’s Gutfeld!, which airs at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, continued to dominate its hour, averaging 3.30 million total viewers and 249,000 in the demo across 60 first-run episodes—up 16 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
At 11 p.m., Comedy Central’s The Daily Show delivered the quarter’s strongest one-two punch, averaging 1.13 million total viewers (up 25 percent) and 261,000 in the demo (up 39 percent) across 41 first-run episodes.
In the key 18–49 demographic at 11:35 p.m., Kimmel averaged 256,000 viewers, down 6 percent from Q4, while NBC’s Fallon declined 12 percent to 177,000. Both shifts follow a fourth quarter boosted by multiple NFL lead-ins, pointing more to normalization than a meaningful downturn.
Colbert, meanwhile, ticked up 3 percent in the demo to 233,000 adults 18–49, narrowing the gap with Kimmel.
Elsewhere in late night:
At 12:37 a.m., NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers averaged 1.00 million total viewers and 139,000 adults 18–49 across 40 first-run episodes, posting modest gains in both measures.
ABC’s Nightline averaged 974,000 total viewers, essentially even with Meyers overall, but dropped 21 percent in the demo to 98,000—mirroring the broader post-football normalization across late night.
Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen rose across both measures, averaging 396,000 total viewers (up 9 percent) and 104,000 adults 18–49 (up 8 percent).
Year Over Year (vs. Q1 2025)
Compared with the same period last year, total late-night viewership across shows tracked by LateNighter rose 4 percent, while viewing among adults 18–49 dipped 2 percent.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Show were the only programs to post year-over-year gains across both key measures, with Kimmel up 31 percent in total viewers and 41 percent in the demo, and Daily Show up 19 percent and 26 percent, respectively.
Programs with split performance were The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (up 12 percent in total viewers, down 3 percent in the demo), Nightline (up 4 percent, down 5 percent), and Late Night with Seth Meyers (up 3 percent, down 1 percent), while programs posting declines across both measures were Gutfeld! (down 15 percent in total viewers and 25 percent in the demo), Watch What Happens Live (down 11 percent and 32 percent), and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (down 1 percent and 7 percent).
Complete Q1 2026 ratings charts follow below.
Note: Quarterly ratings averages include only first-run episodes (rebroadcasts and specials are excluded). Time period listed is most common airtime for show.
Live+7 Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000s) | Vs Last Qtr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | |||
|
Watch What Happens Live (BRAVO)
56 First-run episodes | 0.81 | 396 | +9% |
|
Gutfeld! (FNC)
60 First-run episodes | 6.78 | 3,303 | +16% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
|
The Daily Show (COM)
41 First-run episodes | 3.24 | 1,127 | +25% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
43 First-run episodes | 9.5 | 2,525 | +6% |
|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
40 First-run episodes | 10.19 | 2,698 | +0% |
|
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
42 First-run episodes | 5.05 | 1,332 | flat |
| 12:37 AM | |||
|
Nightline (ABC)
60 First-run episodes | 4.97 | 974 | flat |
|
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
40 First-run episodes | 5.77 | 1,004 | +4% |
Live+7 Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000s) | Vs Last Qtr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | |||
|
Watch What Happens Live (BRAVO)
56 First-run episodes | 1.07 | 104 | +8% |
|
Gutfeld! (FNC)
60 First-run episodes | 2.59 | 249 | +25% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
|
The Daily Show (COM)
41 First-run episodes | 3.87 | 261 | +39% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
43 First-run episodes | 4.91 | 256 | -6% |
|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
40 First-run episodes | 4.53 | 233 | +3% |
|
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
42 First-run episodes | 3.42 | 177 | -12% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
|
Nightline (ABC)
60 First-run episodes | 2.48 | 98 | -21% |
|
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
40 First-run episodes | 4.01 | 139 | +6% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
if Stephen Colbert has the most viewers, why can advertising spots be sold?
Stephen’s Demographics are not good. Advertising is about having the “right” Iyouth) audience.
So what you are saying is more people watched Gutfield than any other show.
You mean dumbfucks, then yeah!
So YOU missed an episode? Big deal then.
Of the Gutfool loving dumbucks I was telling you all!
So anyone smarter than you is a dumbfuck. Interesting concept and such a vast vocabulary. Why is it that when a Democrat can’t think of anything intelligent to say or loses a debate with a Republican, the Democrat will 100% of the time resort to cussing?
yes Gutfield gets more viewers because he is the only option for Trumpian morons.meanwhile those will brains in their head have options to choose from so they split their viewership amongst 4 other shows
I thought this was a site devoted to late night shows.
Gutfeld! and Watch What Happens Live are not late night.
Please stop including them.
EXACTLY!!!
The continued addition of Gutfeld at 10:00pm IS NONSENSE!!
How is it logical to give credence to the buying power of his greyhaired viewers compared to the prime buying ages watching the real nighttime shows.
Gutfeld is up 25% in the demo.
Sorry, not sorry!
“The Daily Show ” is on at the same time too. Greg’s show is still beating the network guys which is sad….but funny.
If he had a network show, he wouldn’t survive the early months, because nobody likes him!
That’s not true. Gutfeld is on at 10. The Daily Show is on at 11. That’s a huge difference in total audience, probably the biggest percentage drop-off of the entire day.
People are just tired of being lectured or are sick of listening to there agenda. They just want to be entertained, they don’t care about why you hate Trump. He’s the president just get over it already
And you know this, how? Seems more like your wishful thinking on display than anything fact based!
again – only the networks. the general public couldn’t give a rat’s a__.
Amen to that! No big loss if all of the late night shows were canceled. They are not entertaining anyway. It’s nothing but political bullsh..anymore, and NONE of those idiots like Trump…gotta have something to whine and complain about!
Nobody likes Drumpf! The late night hosts aren’t the only ones who feel that way!
a bunch of paid left wing commentators. not funny at all. old jokes
Nobody cares for your MAGA whining!
The only people that are crying are the people that have no ratings. All Colbert & Kimmel do is whine about Trump & that’s why no one watches them anymore & that’s why Colbert was fired. People can see through all of there lies & don’t care about why you don’t like our president. People voted for Trump & that’s why he won ok. No one cares about why u hate Trump just move on to a different outrage cuz that’s all u guys do is whine like little bitches
What you call whining is in fact cathartic to those that are fed up with that criminal scum Drumpf causing mayhem and trouble, here and around the world! Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have successfully gotten under your Dear Toddler’s thin skin by tossing out truth bombs that are both funny and on target! The fact that this pisss you off shows what very little character you have!
Face it, stupid! Nobody likes your hero, Drumpf! He’s a racist, sexist pedophile that got voted in because he appealed to other thin skinned losers, like you, that want to blame other people for your failure in life! Enjoy living under an overpass, once your hero has laid waste to the country!
Colbert is on its last legs. Nobody will miss him
He comes across as being smug and arrogant. The bubble burst and the gas bag Stephen fell on his OWN SELF-inflicted “sword.” When Late Night Television Stars jof the past oked about their respective networks, their shows were PRINTING money. (RATINGS = Revenue)
Drumpf pressured the Ellisons to cancel his show, if they want to have their business deals approved by him!
It’s called quid pro quo! And that’s what got him impeached the first time!
Colbert has 2.3 million viewers + another 3 million watch his monologue on YouTube. Millions of us will miss him.
Liking truMP IS IDIOTIC. PLEASE, YOU AND/ OR YOUR CHILD SIGN UP FOR the Epstein draft. That’s the patriotic thing to do🪖🎖️👍✌️
bring Stephen Colbert back, you will be sorry if you don’t this was a stupid decision and from Donnie Trump.haha
No Thanks. the guys an idiot with zero humor while surviving off of his political attacks instead of providing entertainment
Colbert is quite fi=unny! It’s not his fault you lack a sense of humor, like all Drumpf licking MAGAts!
Who is writing these articles? Gutfeld is NOT late night!!!
Look how deliberately they bury and ignore Gutfeld clobbering the leftist cheerleader squad, even their sainted Colberr. you think you hate journalists enougg, but you don’t.
oh stop making s*** up
kind of amazing that CBS cancels Colbert who has the highest ratings in his time slot, doubling NBC’s Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. You would think, after their sale was approved and completed, they would’ve gone back to Colbert and said, “We’re sory, we made a mistake and want to continue the Late Show.” What a costly mistake it will turn out to be.
Yes he is. The Late Night Time slot CAN begin at 10/11 P.M. There is precedent. “Arsenio Hall” (2013 – Tribune TV Stations), Conan on TBS.
Anything to make that right wing hack look presentable to the public!
The average ago of Stephen’s “Late Show” viewer is: SIXTY-EIGHT.
Just sayin’!
Notice how the one show that produces five new episodes every night has the highest ratings? “Gutfeld” is on cable too.
Where people with sub zero IQs that vote Republican watch!
Prime time has always been 8p-11p ET/PT. Late night is 11:00pm on.
CDC data states on weeknights, most Americans fall asleep between 10:30–11:00 PM
You can’t compare a show on at 10:00 with a show on at 11:35!
Furthermore, Gutfeld is on a 10:00pET/7:00pPT. So now you’re comparing a show on at 7:00p to a show on at 11:35. Remove Gutfeld and WWHL. By time definition they are NOT Late Night.
How in the world, is colbert leading???
he really isn’t, that funny compared to the others… Wow!!
Thank you for asking!
He’s leading but look at how many viewers he averages. It’s embarrassing the numbers he’s pulling for late night & that’s why there cancelling his show cuz he has no ratings. These idiots will blame it on Trump for some reason cuz that’s what they do. They don’t get what they want, then it must be trumps fault right? But we all know if he was pulling in decent rating he’d still have a show
Stephen Colbert is leading in the ratings, yet his numbers are so low, he’s being cancelled!
Do we have that right?
God, but you’re freakin’ stupid!
The late night ratings would sooooooooooooooo much higher if JOHNNY CARSON OR DAVID LETTERMAN were still on. The late night hosts you have listed are VERY VERY AMATEURS compared to JOHNNY CARSON AND DAVID LETTERMAN
I agree it doesn’t make sense to include the 10pm eastern time as late night, but it isxwhat it is.
With that, get your facts straight. in one part of this article you write Gutfeld! is up 15 and 25, then towards the bottum you say the show is down 15 and 25.
Is this anti Gutfeld! bias, sloppy writing or pandering to get clicks from a certain demographic?
The first set of data is, as noted, “compared to the prior quarter.”
Later in the ratings report is, as noted, “Compared with the same period last year.”
You can enjoy your little circle jerk of Stephen Colbert getting canceled, all you want! The only reason he lost his show was because your Dear Toddler Drumpf ordered the Ellisons to cancel it, if they ever want any business dealings approved by him!
Colbert knows that, which is why he’s leaving with his head up high! While your fat rat bastard Drumpf is becoming more and more unhinged and despised every day, if that’s even possible!
This ain’t the win you pathetic losers think it is!
Your Hatred and TDS is showing, you should probably get that checked out. Clearly you love posting and mis-spelling his name, how mature, stunning and brave!
You MAGAts are all thin skinned, humorless losers! You MAGAts wanted Colbert cancelled because he said truths about your Dear Toddler Drumpf and your MAGA movement. So he got the Ellisons to get rid of him, if they wanted any more future deals approved by him!
Your movement is failing! Drumpf is underwater with everyone, and Democrats are over performing in elections! Republicans will be wiped off the map come November!
Cope, suckee boob!