First on LateNighter: Jimmy Kimmel continues to rack up ratings wins.
Kimmel, who prior to his suspension this past September hadn’t passed the three-million viewer mark for a regular episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in more than five years, just crossed it for the third time in as many months.
According to newly released Nielsen Live+3 data, Kimmel’s Tuesday, November 25 episode drew 3,056,000 total viewers, up a full 56% week over week. That was enough to handily beat his 11:35 p.m. competition—a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a new episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In fact, Kimmel drew more viewers to ABC than were watching NBC and CBS combined.
Why the surge? A perfect storm. Not only did Tuesday’s episode follow last week’s blockbuster Dancing With the Stars finale, it also landed the night after Donald Trump renewed his call to take Kimmel of the air in a late-night social media blast.
Viewers tuned in expecting Kimmel to hit back—and he delivered. His headline-grabbing response to Trump set the tone for the entire episode, which also featured Sen. Mark Kelly, another frequent Trump target. Kelly told Kimmel he wasn’t backing down either, after Trump suggested he and several other Democratic lawmakers should be put to death for telling active-duty service members they have a duty to refuse illegal orders.
Among the shows we track, Kimmel drew the largest audience of the night, but he wasn’t the only big gainer.
Nightline, which follows Kimmel on ABC, was up a healthy 34% week over week, while NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers also picked up viewers. (The Daily Show and Watch What Happens Live were both dark last week.)
Complete ratings charts for Tuesday, November 25 follow below.
Live+3 Ratings – All Viewers (P2+)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000s) | Vs Wk Ago | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† | 5.28 | 2,436 | -18% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
| 11.91 | 3,056 | +56% |
|
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
| 4.54 | 1,140 | +10% |
|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Repeat | 4.63 | 1,174 | -52% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
|
Nightline (ABC)
| 6.46 | 1,198 | +29% |
|
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
| 5.7 | 966 | +31% |
Live+3 Ratings – In the Demo (P18-49)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000s) | Vs Wk Ago | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM | |||
|
Gutfeld! (FNC)†
| 1.82 | 167 | -9% |
| 11:35 PM | |||
|
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
| 6.57 | 327 | +74% |
|
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
| 3.55 | 172 | +58% |
|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Repeat | 2.71 | 133 | -40% |
| 12:37 AM | |||
|
Nightline (ABC)
| 4.53 | 158 | +70% |
|
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
| 5.11 | 164 | +62% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
