First on LateNighter: Jimmy Kimmel topped Stephen Colbert in the ratings Tuesday when the two late-night hosts swapped guest chairs on each other’s shows, with both appearances airing at same time.
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 2.51 million total viewers with a 9.46 share, while CBS’s Late Show With Stephen Colbert drew 1.98 million viewers with a 7.51 share. In adults 18-49, Kimmel also led with 269,000 viewers (5.19 share) against Colbert’s 175,000 (3.39 share). (These numbers will grow in the coming days as delayed viewing data comes in.)
It was a similar story onYouTube. By Friday afternoon, Colbert’s guest appearance on Kimmel had drawn 3.72 million views, compared with 2.89 million for the first segment of Kimmel’s interview on The Late Show.
The crossover originated in Brooklyn, where Kimmel is taping his show this week at the Howard Gilman Opera House. Colbert appeared as his main guest, while Seth Meyers also dropped in for a cameo. After the taping, Kimmel traveled to the Ed Sullivan Theater to join Colbert’s show as a guest.
During his appearance on Kimmel’s show, Colbert described how he learned of his cancellation and how he shared the news with his staff, while Kimmel shared his own minute-by-minute account of what went down the day of his suspension on Colbert’s show.
Kimmel’s Tuesday win continues a recent trend: since returning to his show a week ago Tuesday, Kimmel has maintained a ratings lead over Colbert.
Full ratings charts for Tuesday, September 30, 2025, follow below:
Live+SD Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000s) | Vs Wk Ago | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | |||
|
Gutfeld! (FNC)
| 7.44 | 3,380 | +8% |
|
Watch What Happens Live (BRAVO)
Aired at 9:00 PM this day | 0.38 | 193 | -25% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
|
The Daily Show (COM)
| 1.47 | 493 | -8% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
| 9.46 | 2,506 | -61% |
|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
| 7.51 | 1,977 | +13% |
|
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
| 3.45 | 896 | -12% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
|
Nightline (ABC)
| 5.55 | 1,012 | -45% |
|
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
| 4.19 | 715 | -11% |
Live+SD Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000s) | Vs Wk Ago | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | |||
|
Gutfeld! (FNC)
| 3.71 | 324 | +34% |
|
Watch What Happens Live (BRAVO)
Aired at 9:00 PM this day | 0.53 | 54 | -49% |
| 11:00 PM | |||
|
The Daily Show (COM)
| 2.85 | 179 | +19% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
| 5.19 | 269 | -78% |
|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
| 3.39 | 175 | +11% |
|
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
| 1.78 | 91 | -19% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
|
Nightline (ABC)
| 2.92 | 110 | -66% |
|
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
| 2.21 | 78 | 0% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
Interesting that Gutfeld always calls their show Late Night when it is on at 7PM Pacific Time across all zones at the same time, so 10PM Eastern. They hit all Prime Time slots across the country while Kimmel and Colbert are on at 11:35PM Pacific and 11:35PM Eastern. Time shifted across all zones.
Yesterday Gutfeld called himself the King of Late Night. That’s like being in a race where one person drives a race car and the rest are on Horses and claiming to have the fastest horse.
Nielson ratings list Gutfeld in the 10PM slot (still Prime time) but the reality is different.
Would love to have a late night show go 7PM Pacific across all time zones and see how Gutfeld’s ratings would compare. Maybe on a Fox Competitor.
Only stupid people find him amusing and entertaining!