Week of Sept. 9, 2024 Ratings: Debate Gifts Colbert, Kimmel, Stewart With Huge Gains

Note: LateNighter generally posts late night weekly live-plus-three ratings on a three (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.

The Presidential Debate and the season premiere of Monday Night Football provided late night shows with a substantial ratings boost for the week of September 9, 2024.

CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, three shows with a focus on comedy pertaining to the election, saw especially significant week-to-week growth in the daypart.

Colbert finished No. 1 in the 11:35 p.m. slot for the week beginning Sept. 9, having averaged 2,449,000 total viewers with 298,000 P18-49, per Nielsen live-plus-three-day data. That’s up +24% and +34%, respectively, from the the week before (Sept. 2-6). The Late Show‘s post-debate episode on Tuesday, Sept. 10 hauled in more than 3.54 million total viewers. Colbert’s week of Sept. 9 ratings are based on data from four first-run episodes and a Friday rebroadcast.

Kimmel averaged 1,811,000 total viewers with 269,000 P18-49 last week. That’s up +36% and +79%, respectively, from the week before. Kimmel had a huge start to the week with a Monday Night Football lead-in followed by a ABC presidential debate lead-in on Tuesday. The show’s ratings predictably dropped off Wednesday through Friday (a rebroadcast). Kimmel’s week of Sept. 9 ratings are based on data from four first-run episodes and a Friday rebroadcast. The show’s Monday and Tuesday episodes started at 11:49 and 11:40 p.m. ET, respectively, and returned to 11:35 p.m. for Wednesday through Friday.

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon finished third in the 11:35 p.m. timeslot, having averaged 1,270,000 total viewers with 229,000 P18-49. That’s down -5% and -18%, respectively, from the week before. Like Colbert and Kimmel, Fallon benefited on Tuesday from a presidential debate lead-in (though not to the same extent). The week of Sept. 9 Tonight Show ratings are based on data from four first-run episodes (Monday through Thursday).

Following Fallon, NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers averaged 882,000 total viewers with 138,000 P18-49 for the week of Sept. 9, per Nielsen live-plus-three data. That’s down -6% and -28%, respectively, from the previous week. Late Night‘s week of Sept. 9 Nielsen ratings averages are based on data from four new episodes and a Friday broadcast.

CBS’ After Midnight averaged 666,000 total viewers with 151,000 P18-49 last week. That’s up +47% and +40%, respectively, from the week prior. After Midnight’s week of Sept. 9 ratings are based on data from four first-run episodes, and a Friday rebroadcast.

ABC’s Nightline averaged 1,020,000 total viewers with 164,000 P18-49 viewers this past week, per Nielsen live-plus-three data. That’s up +42% and +80%, respectively, from the week prior. Nightline‘s week of Sept. 9 averages are based on Nielsen data from five first-run episodes (Mon-Fri), also true for the week prior.

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show delivered its most-watched week in live-plus-three viewers since Jon Stewart returned to the program back in February. The program averaged 1,295,000 total viewers with 268,000 P18-49 for the week beginning Sept. 9, per Nielsen live-plus-three data. That’s up +13% and +29%, respectively, from the show’s most recent slate of first-run episodes (DNC week of Aug. 19).

The week’s complete ratings charts follow below.

Weekly live+3 ratings (Viewers 2+)

Weekly live+3 ratings (P18-49 Demo)

© The Nielsen Company, used under license.