Weekly Ratings: Kimmel Gains Ground in a Close 11:35 Race

ABC reclaimed momentum in late night for the week of Dec. 7, with Jimmy Kimmel Live! posting the biggest ratings gains at 11:35 p.m. even as CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert held onto its lead in total viewers.

According to Nielsen Live+3 data, Jimmy Kimmel Live! climbed 16 percent week over week to an average of 2.17 million total viewers, the largest increase of any program at 11:35 p.m. Kimmel also remained the top performer in the key adults 18–49 demo, narrowly edging out his rivals with 224,000 viewers (+4 percent).

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, meanwhile, continued to anchor the hour in total audience, averaging 2.45 million viewers despite a modest 6 percent dip from the previous week. Colbert’s demo performance ticked up slightly to 216,000 adults 18–49 (+1 percent), keeping the gap between CBS and ABC tight across both measures.

NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon also posted solid gains, rising to a nightly average of 1.36 million total viewers (+9 percent) and 210,000 adults 18–49 (+22 percent).

Each of the three network shows benefited from one standout episode during the week. Fallon’s highest-rated broadcast came with his final of four Sunday night post-NFL editions of The Tonight Show, which drew 2.2 million total viewers and 499,000 adults 18–49. Kimmel’s top night arrived Tuesday, when a visit from David Letterman delivered 2.6 million viewers and 245,000 in the demo. And Colbert notched the biggest single-night audience of the week at 11:35 p.m. on Wednesday, when Taylor Swift appeared, powering the show to 3.3 million total viewers and 376,000 adults 18–49.

Elsewhere in late night, The Daily Show was steady at 11:00 p.m., averaging 827,000 total viewers (–1 percent) while posting a 9 percent gain among adults 18–49 to 181,000. At 12:37 a.m., ABC’s Nightline grew to 980,000 viewers (+14 percent) despite a slight dip in the demo, while NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers delivered one the week’s strongest rebounds, jumping 24 percent in total viewers and 23 percent among adults 18–49 after airing repeats the prior week.

On cable, Fox News’ Gutfeld! continued to dominate at 10:00 p.m. with 2.72 million total viewers, while Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live settled in at 421,000 viewers, down 13 and 20 percent over last week

Complete ratings charts for the week of Dec. 7, 2025, follow below

Note: Time period listed is the most common airtime for each show.

Live+ 3 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)

Live+ 3 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)

Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.