Jimmy Kimmel Hits All-Time Monthly Ratings High in June

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It’s official: late night has a new ratings king. Jimmy Kimmel didn’t merely lead the field in June 2026—Jimmy Kimmel Live! posted the highest monthly ratings average of its 23-year run.

According to Nielsen Live+7 ratings data, Kimmel’s ABC late-night show averaged 3.15 million viewers per night in June, up 24% from May. It also led among adults 18–49, averaging 505,000 viewers in the demo—a 112% month-over-month increase.

Kimmel’s extraordinary lift came courtesy of a unique one-two punch.

June marked the first full month without new episodes from Kimmel’s primary 11:35 p.m. competitor, Stephen Colbert.

More consequentially, Kimmel benefited from four highly rated lead-ins following ABC’s coverage of the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final, boosting his audience—particularly in the demo—to levels rarely seen in late night in recent years.

Kimmel’s June 3, 5, 8 and 10 episodes each drew more than 700,000 adults 18–49, the show’s strongest demo performances since its most-watched regularly scheduled episode ever: Kimmel’s September 23rd return from suspension last fall.

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon placed second among the 11:35 p.m. shows, averaging 1.47 million nightly viewers, up 4% from May. Fallon, who benefited from NBC’s NBA playoff coverage the previous month, fell 19% in the demo to an average of 195,000 adults 18–49.

June also marked the first full month of ratings for Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed in CBS’s former Late Show slot. Across 18 first-run episodes, the show’s 11:35 p.m. half-hour averaged 807,000 total viewers, down 16% from its initial six-episode run in May, and 92,000 adults 18–49, down 6%.

The second nightly episode of Comics Unleashed, airing at 12:05 a.m., averaged 548,000 total viewers, down 10%, and 67,000 adults 18–49, up 6% month-over-month across all telecasts.

June also brought the first ratings for James Corden’s World Cup-adjacent Fox late-night series, FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden. Across 13 first-run midnight episodes, the show averaged 632,000 total viewers and 201,000 adults 18–49.

At 12:35 a.m., Byron Allen’s Funny You Should Ask, which took over the CBS slot previously occupied by Comics Unleashed, averaged 461,000 total viewers, down 3%, and 60,000 adults 18–49, up 11%. Its 1:05 a.m. half-hour averaged 407,000 total viewers, up 1%, and 53,000 demo viewers, up 2%.

At 12:37 a.m., ABC’s Nightline led NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers in both total viewers and the demo. Nightline averaged 1.06 million total viewers, up 17% from May, and 163,000 adults 18–49, up 109%. Meyers averaged 975,000 total viewers, down 7%, and 124,000 adults 18–49, down 21%.

On cable, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show averaged 1.22 million total viewers in June, up 12% from May, and 243,000 adults 18–49, up 14%.

Fox News’s Gutfeld!, which airs at 10 p.m. ET, averaged 2.9 million total viewers in June, down 5% from May. It also averaged 186,000 adults 18–49, a 5% decline.

Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live averaged 290,000 total viewers, down 15% month-over-month, and 80,000 adults 18–49, down 27%.

Year-Over-Year vs. June 2025

Looking only at shows with apples-to-apples comparisons from June 2025, the total audience across LateNighter’s tracked programs grew 14% among total viewers and 17% among adults 18–49 in June, with four of the seven returning programs posting gains in both ratings measurements.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! led the way, rising 66% overall and 69% among adults 18–49, while The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was up 19% in total viewers and 25% in the demo.

Elsewhere, The Daily Show rose 23% in total viewers and was flat among adults 18–49. Nightline climbed 12% overall and 18% in the demo, while Late Night with Seth Meyers was up 7% in total viewers and 19% among adults 18–49.

The only programs down in both measurements were Gutfeld!, which fell 15% in total viewers and 27% in the demo, and Watch What Happens Live, which was down 11% overall and 9% among adults 18–49.

Complete ratings charts for June 2026 follow below.

Note: Monthly ratings averages include only first-run episodes, except in time periods where no first-run episodes air. Time period listed is the 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.