The Daily Show Hits Decade-High Audience Share in Key Demo

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show just closed its strongest quarter in years among adults 18–49, marking a major win for the long-running late-night franchise.

Citing Nielsen Live+3 numbers among viewers aged 18-49, Comedy Central announced Tuesday that its flagship late-night show delivered its highest quarterly ratings in more than four years—and its largest audience share in a decade—during the third quarter of 2025.

By the same measure, The Daily Show’s ratings were up 25% (0.450 vs. 0.361) year over year, while its share jumped 42% (3.22 vs. 2.26), both representing double-digit increases from the same period in 2024.

The show’s digital footprint also reached record highs. According to Comedy Central, The Daily Show logged its best third quarter ever across social platforms, with 1.7 billion views (up 26%) and 3.2 billion total minutes consumed (up 20%) versus last year.

As LateNighter previously reported, the series saw a significant surge in July when Josh Johnson took his first turn behind the anchor desk, outdrawing each of the show’s other rotating hosts—including Jon Stewart—among adults 18–49.

Those gains continued into September, when Stewart returned to host a special Thursday night episode following Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, shattering Johnson’s record in the demo. Nielsen Live+3 numbers show Stewart’s episode drew 443,000 viewers aged 18–49—the show’s largest demo audience since February 2024.