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.
As the second quarter of 2025 wrapped, late-night’s pecking order held mostly steady—with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert topping the 11:35 PM hour in total viewers, and Late Night with Seth Meyers leading at 12:37 AM across both key ratings metrics.
CBS’s Late Show was the only show among the nine tracked by LateNighter to draw more total viewers in Q2 than it had in the first quarter of 2025—although just barely, with the show growing its audience by 1% quarter over quarter. All told, the Stephen Colbert-hosted show averaged 2.42 million viewers across 41 first-run episodes, comfortably outpacing ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.77 million) and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (1.19 million). In the advertiser-coveted 18–49 demo, however, Kimmel surged ahead with 220,000 viewers—his strongest performance in a year—edging out Colbert (219,000) and leaving Fallon (at 157,000) in a distant third.
At 12:37 AM, Late Night with Seth Meyers continued its quiet reign. The NBC mainstay averaged 900,000 total viewers and 111,000 in the demo across 35 episodes—easily topping both metrics in the late-late slot. ABC’s Nightline held second place with 810,000 total viewers and 108,000 in the demo, putting it ahead of CBS’s After Midnight, which ended its two-year run in early June with an average of 591,000 total viewers and 89,000 in the 18–49 demo.
The Daily Show, airing at 11:00 PM on Comedy Central, remained steady, averaging 994,000 viewers and 190,000 in the demo, down 2% compared to Q1.
Earlier in the night, Fox News’ Gutfeld! continued to rule its time period, leading all of the shows we track among both total viewers (with a 3.29 million average) and viewers aged 18–49 (at an average of 238,000), down -9% and -22%, respectively, vs. last quarter.
Comparing this year’s Q2 numbers to the same period a year ago, Gutfeld! was the only show to grow its audience across both key metrics, with a net gain of +31.5% among total viewers, and +24% among viewers in the demo. (The Daily Show was up in the demo vs Q2 2024 by 2.7%, but down among total viewers by 1.2%.)
Excluding Gutfeld!, aggregate linear late-night viewership was down -9% year-over-year among total viewers, and -21% in the demo. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon sustained the greatest losses compared to Q2 2024, down -16% among total viewers and down -29% among viewers aged 18-49.
Of course, linear ratings are just one measure of a show’s total audience. As viewers continue to cut the cord and migrate to streaming, online views for the same shows have grown—both on YouTube and on streaming services like Peacock, Hulu and Paramount+.
Complete ratings charts for Q2 2025 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) 53 First-run episodes | 0.73 | 343 | -16% |
| Gutfeld! (FNC) 62 First-run episodes | 7.16 | 3,289 | -9% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (COM) 38 First-run episodes | 2.88 | 994 | -2% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 42 First-run episodes | 6.95 | 1,772 | -3% |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) 41 First-run episodes | 9.22 | 2,417 | +1% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 38 First-run episodes | 4.54 | 1,188 | -2% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| Nightline (ABC) 60 First-run episodes | 4.25 | 810 | -4% |
| After Midnight (CBS) 30 First-run episodes | 3.36 | 591 | -9% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 35 First-run episodes | 5.08 | 900 | -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) 53 First-run episodes | 1.03 | 96 | -21% |
| Gutfeld! (FNC) 62 First-run episodes | 2.68 | 238 | -22% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
| The Daily Show (COM) 38 First-run episodes | 2.76 | 190 | -2% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 42 First-run episodes | 4.34 | 220 | +24% |
| The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) 41 First-run episodes | 4.13 | 219 | -8% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 38 First-run episodes | 2.95 | 157 | -13% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
| Nightline (ABC) 60 First-run episodes | 2.72 | 108 | +10% |
| After Midnight (CBS) 30 First-run episodes | 2.44 | 89 | -18% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 35 First-run episodes | 2.99 | 111 | -21% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
Paramount/CBS: Deciding to cancel Stephen Colbert is absolutely ridiculous! What are you thinking about?Who’s next? Do you think the viewership doesn’t know why your doing this? All the late night hosts are wonderful. You doing this just shows you think the want-to-be-Dictator in the White House is ok. What the hell is wrong with you folks at Paramount. I watch many shows on your network, that is going to change. 😥😡
They are losing $40 million dollars a year on that show lol makes perfect sense to cancel it. But you’re so stupid you think it’s President Trumps fault lol! The show isn’t even funny. It’s just hate and propaganda and same stupid jokes.
The thing is, they’ve been losing money for years. But money is not an issue. Paramount/CBS just signed a 1.5 billion $ deal with South Park. What are another 40mil for the Late Show. It is clearly politically motivated…which should not happen on a private network
Your criminal rapist scum hero, Drumpf, forced them to cancel the show, retarded cunt! We can’t help it if Colbert gives you a mad sad, bitchole!
Grow the fuck up!
This comment is for Me!
You’re an idiot! Plain and simple.
They signed the deal with South Park because it’s a flagship show that makes money. Paramount isn’t required to spend profits made elsewhere to prop up failing TV shows.
In watcher county, Colbert’s show is the number 1 late night show. And it appears you cannot discern the difference between hate and satire. Comedians have been making fun of presidents or equivalents — all parties, not just one or the other — since the ancient Greek City States!
its hilarious dude. Your butthurt is showing.
LOL!! Poor Pammie. I’m thinking anything in her life that goes wrong she probably blames the president. Colbert is a caustic, hateful, moronic, silly man. You go right ahead and leave CBS. Monday I’m sure you’ll be the talk at the water cooler!! 🤣😂🤣😂
would you let your kids sit in Trump’s lap? you probably would you stupid sick fucking brainwashed traitor bitch.
you support a convicted rapist sold our country out to a foreign billionaire so he could fire everyone investigating his sleazy companies and throw veterans out of work. You’re a traitor and you’re a cunt and Cult 45 is going down.
Victory is clearly a psychopath off his meds. The party of Love and Tolerance once again shows the true colors of what they really are at their core.
While Katsu here shows us all just how sad, lame and pathetic MAGAtards are, by projecting all their faults and sins onto Democrats, because they have no real answers to give. Just their pathetic hate!
Grow the fuck up, you retarded cunt!
Slurp slurp go the snakes at putin’s orange asshole.
You are clearly not paying the bills for the show. If it made money it would continue
Keep sucking at the orange asshole, its obvious you love the taste.
I just watched jay and Johnny- really laugh. No politics, just laughs. HE’s NOT FUNNY!
Humor requires intelligence, its why the maga is always the punchline, never the comedian.
I.never stopped watching a network just because they cancelled a show that I liked. TDS is a sad affliction indeed…
TDS describes you Drumpf licking cunts! Worshipping a deranged racist sexist criminal above all else!
We know how to fix that! Several well placed blows to your head and face with a hockey stick!
BLA BLA BLA, HAVE ANOTHER BITTER ALE.
Stay classy.
I’m not really heartbroken about Colbert getting the boot.The show in my opinion wasn’t funny as all. Same old tired Trump jokes, so of the main people are polititions,skits with political themes, and actors telling Colbert the end is coming. I dont mind some political jokes, but he comes mean and nasty about repubs, lays off of dems.
Because Republicans ARE mean and nasty, you fucking retard! And as for laying off Democrats, do you not watch the show? Colbert goes after Democrats for his Lord and Naster Bernie the Bum Sanders, whom he and the late night talk shows worship, the way you Magatards worship Drumpf!
You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, cunt!
Explanations are needed – why does it cost $100,000,000 a year to produce the Late Show? Did CBS just suddenly discover that they were losing $40,000,000 a year? They cut the live music off Seth Meyer’s show, were there no cost savings they could have made with the Late Show? If 2.14 million viewers, the most in the 11:35pm slot by a wide margin, was not enough, what do they think the replacement show is going to get?
For most of the ’70s and ’80s, CBS didn’t have a late night talk show. Instead, they ran old, classic movies (like TCM) and other cheaper programming. I imagine they’ll do something similar now, maybe reruns of old sitcoms or start overnight news earlier. CBS could also do what some PBS stations do: repeat their prime time lineup overnight.
Love S.C. witty and wise.( Fact checks all) CBS claims they are losing money. They should have waiting b4 cancelling a couple of days after Colbert told the truth about the quid pro quo payment to # 47 library. We know WHY ! # 47 will find away to put that 16 million in his pocket . CBS will merger with ease. Democracy becomes less and less in the U.S.. The Supreme Court, CEO’s Bondi and Barr ,The Republican party,& the FBI have shown they too can be bought! Fear Monopoly ,Power and Greed. History is repeating itself. We should also fear the Billionaires and Mother nature more than ever!!!
CBS was willing to lose $40M a year just to poke at Trump. Weird use of a lot of money.
10pm is “late night”? Maybe to the doddering old drones who watch nothing but Fox News. Keep huffing that copium, bragging about those ratings as you beat “NCIS” and “Impractical Jokers” reruns, Fox. Until you’re head to head directly against the big three at 11:30pm, your claims are a joke.
It’s 11 pm on the East Coast. So The Late Show starts at 10:37/11:37 and runs till 12:37 Eastern Time. This is why the next show starting as 11:30 in the Central Time Zone on CBS is called “After Midnight.” Everything after the 10/11 pm News has been called “Late Night” since there was television.
It’s obvious that late night shows are an institution. I remember Jack Parr! It seems to me that the Republican Party has lost its ability to laugh at itself. That’s truly unfortunate. I may need to swear off CBS until they come to their senses. What would WalterCronkite say?
Are you high?
You’d think they would have used the abundance of Biden gaff material, but did not. The libtards are a daily joke.
Colbert used Biden gaff material all the time. The one were he walks off, were he trips etc. You either do not watch the show or you are a braindead MAGA.
That’s the way it is…..
would you let your kids sit in Trump’s lap? you probably would you stupid sick fucking brainwashed traitor bitch.
you support a convicted rapist sold our country out to a foreign billionaire so he could fire everyone investigating his sleazy companies and throw veterans out of work. You’re a traitor and you’re a cunt and Cult 45 is going down.
You’re a punk ass little pussy Communist bitch aren’t you. I’m using language you like to use because obviously you’re not intelligent enough to use proper vernacular. ESAD…. better yet …. go get some God damn Pfizer boosters in you dumb fuck. I hope you understand the language you use all the time. LMAO 🤣🤣🤣
Feel, better, retard? Are you glad you got that out of your system? Good! Cuz now you’ve earned a one way ticket to the woodshed for the mother of all bare ass belt whippings for your obnoxious behavior!
Keep pretending like vaccines are bad, would love another red state measles outbreak. People dont think you guys are stupid pieces of shit at all, I promise:)
Layoff the leftist fake news you moron. You are so brainwashed by MSNBC, CNN and others that you obviously don’t really know the facts or love this country. To keep it short and simple, GO TO HELL !
Humor requires intelligence, its why the maga is always the punchline, never the comedian.
Maga lives in the hell of their own making.
🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾
What are you , 12 years old?
Grow up
The 12 year old , meaning the kid who’s too much of a coward to leave a name. Not Carl.
I think the average age on this thread is 10!
You are sooo scary kid.
Perhaps your mom should limit your time online
I’m a Hebrew reading real Bible scholar of some note. What none of you realize is, Earth is hell. Where your immortal godlike soul has been sentenced to this planet out of the 60 billion earth-like planets just in the Milky Way galaxy. you get a memory wipe in between lives and you have to start over and over and over every time you come out of another womb. that’s why you see so many idiots psychopaths liars thieves murderers horrible horrible people on this planet. Earth is a prison and if you don’t believe me? try and leave. there is no cessation of consciousness after death. but you get grabbed electrically and your memory is wiped out and your immortal ancient soul is shoved right back into another baby at birth. don’t worry about going to hell, you’re already in hell.
The religious create their own hell.
As an Independent there are things I like and dont like about Trump. But why on earth would these idiotic late night “comedy entertainers” alienate 52% of the voting public and keep telling the same old orange man jokes every night? Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers just come off as pathetic crybabies. Nobody gives a shite about their political opinions. At that time of night people just want to hear a few fresh, good jokes and go to bed. Nobody wants to hear these idiots crying about how our country will become facist before going to bed. What a dumb “entertainment” formula.
Well then, don’t elect that orange buffoon then! Problem solved, you fucking retard!
Your reply is typical of the left. All hate, no substance.
The left has so many morons. Biden was a late night comics dream, yet none , except Gutfeld (who leads them all), uses Biden’s gaffs.
You need to check your meds…
What is wrong with you? So much hate will ruin your life. Get help
You have obviously never watched them. I have never seen them voice political opinions. Just because they also show what retarded assholes MAGA and Trump are you want to FORBID it.
Why?
Because you are an anti democratic little asshole, thats why!
You must be joking, woke-hitler. You have never seen them voice political opinions? Really? If you heard them you would know that their politics are the main theme of the show.
Late night talk shows have become nothing but one-sided political propaganda to demonize those who don’t agree with the funding corporations.
The same type of people that advocate for riots, burning down communities, and committing violent acts including murder, instead of peaceful debates or discussion.
Be honest with yourself.
If you cannot see that these shows fuel hate and division night after night, you might need a break. Being desensitized to that constant negativity is not good for health. Not good for society. What is “Democratic” about any of that?
A young father was murdered in front of the world and his family, just for promoting free speech, giving a platform to those who disagreed with him.
When was the last time you saw anyone other than a leftist invited onto one oth these shows? I think Bill Oreilly is the lone exception.
Limiting yourself to one side is dumb. We are all people. All human beings here together. You canfind common ground if you want. If you refuse, then you are the problem, not the other side.
Putin’s orange fuck clown screws everything.
Strange how the show with the most viewers isn’t mentioned until the fifth paragraph.
Gutfool?!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Don’t make us laugh, you retarded cunt!
You sound like the morons loosing jobs on late night. You preach hate.people want to laugh, not listen to people like you. Go blog about it Maxine.
You mean the show NOT in the same time slot and competing against old NCIS episodes? LoL, the vast majority of the country see how weak MAGA is in lashing out. They know they are unpopular as hell and discontent is snowballing. Fascist freak.
Putin’s Orange traitor monkeys…. love fucking humans.
I hope Colbert can get things heading in the right direction with his new gig. Lay off the politics and stick to being funny. You used to do that.
So sad to see Colbert cancelled a taken off the air. After years of being a leftist Elitist activist for the Democratic Party for years . This so called late night show host was an embarrassing disgrace and CBS finally realized his with woeful ratings. The American public is sick of constant anti Trump and Republican bashing. And dont blame the writers on the show. He truly hates this country and actual comedy. Colbert led the charge against everything Comservative. Good riddance to an old washed up shell of a comedian with an obvious liberal agenda. . Glad to see you go you late night fossil. You can probably gig on MSNBC that you can continue kissing liberal ass you scumbag.
You hit the nail on the head sir. I could not have said it any better. I don’t understand why comedians are not using material from both sides of the political spectrum. Like Carson, Letterman, Leno. Those guys were just great!
You think the country is whit you is hilarious. Everyone hates MAGA freaks now. Because you are stupid, measling spreading morons that chose a paedophile. Only die hard MAGA left soon and most of them are retarded.
Share is not rating. Get your terms right! Rating is a percentage of specific population group viewing. Share is a percentage of the group viewing any tv
You posted as if the late show, on CBS, was the top rated, but “Gutfeld” absolutely destroyed them all, with no other show even close. Perhaps list in order of tops next time. You’re not too honest in your list.
Gutfeld airs during prime time. He’s not late night.
The only late night show that’s funny is Gutfeld. The others just preach to people how to hate Trump more. The others have so much material from the left side of politics, but refuse to use it. It’s no surprise why they’re getting canned.
its about saying what you want to say, plain and simple. if political pressure is the reason then its wrong.. FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!
Not when is hateful speech. Let him go on a podcast and see if he survives on his on merits.
Hateful speech is still protected speech.
The sucking of putin’s dick by republicans can be heard around the world.
That’s why Gutfield has more viewers than these 3 stooges
Because his show airs during prime time not late night.
With Colbert losing $40 million a season, and Fallon and Kimmel each losing $10-20 million a season, how do any of these shows remain on their air? Their viewership are all less than Gutfield. His show is profitable. The big problem is that a woke agenda is not funny. It’s sad, and sometime disgusting! One big problem is that the liberals in our society think SOMEONE… either the government, or the rich, or corporations, or whoever… should all pay for their needs and whims. We live in a capitalist society, and gone are the days that everyone else should pay for the woke whims of the pseudointellectual progressive elites. These people need to pay for their own basket-weaving degrees, their own student loans, and their own programming.
They remain on air because they are not losing money! What you are saying is a lie!
love to hear about the haters
When maga is able to perfect the art of lying and have oligarchs helping them, you will find that democrats can’t punch the wall of lies! Trump is winning the propaganda war, The Big Lie propaganda technique perfected by Hitler and used extensively by Trump and his sycophants to manipulate the weak-minded and poorly educated electorate into believing lies. We Americans with common sense see the evil the Trump embodies, but there are more maga cult followers who Delusional and devoid of reality, too many in fact. Republicans will win the mid terms no doubt, Trump’s corrupt administration will see to that! Release All the Epstein files!
Kimmel’s 1.77 million viewers? They need to seek psychiatric help.
Kimmel’s 1.77 million viewers? They need to seek psychiatric help.
Kimmel and the rest of the late nighters are one of the reasons this country is so messed up. They are pathetic with their liberal bs. Not everyone is perfect but instilling hate that you do doesn’t do anything good. Think about something besides yourself
I read that The Connors’ was getting canceled. I suppose because of low ratings and unsustainable as a business model. Entertainment is always susceptible to market forces. Hard to sell advertising if not many folks are watching. Same thing across the board. Son, you are bad for bidness…
Greg Gutfield has almost twice what Jimmy kimmel or fallon have
Because his show airs during prime time not late night.
Greg Gutfeld is NUMBER ONE
PERIOD
If colbert is doing better than kimmel and meyers in most of these ratings, than why is colbert the only one that’s ending his show? If you ask me all of them should find other jobs as pod-casters instead because none of them take into consideration all of the conservates that also watch tv. Gutfeld is the only one that appeals to that audience and is doing far better than all of them. Michael Jordan once said, REPUBLICANS also buy Nike sneakers.
you lie just like your orange goddess.