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In its second straight week as the only first-run broadcast show at 11:35 p.m., The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon again won the time period in both total viewers and adults 18–49—and improved on the previous week’s numbers.
According to Nielsen Live+3 data, Tonight averaged 1.561 million total viewers, narrowly surpassing the 1.541 million viewers it drew a week earlier, which had been the show’s largest weekly audience in 20 months. Among adults 18–49, Tonight jumped 23 percent week to week to 226,000 viewers, giving Fallon the week’s largest demo audience among the shows we track.
Compared with its season-to-date averages, Tonight performed well above its usual levels in both measures, with total viewership up 23 percent and its adults 18–49 audience up 24 percent.
Fallon’s 1.561 million total viewers put Tonight comfortably ahead of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which aired a week of guest-host repeats and averaged 1.006 million. Fallon also led in adults 18–49, 226,000 to 144,000. Kimmel slipped 5 percent in total viewers in its second week of repeats, though its demo audience ticked up 2 percent.
CBS’ Byron Allen block saw mixed results. Across its full hour, Comics Unleashed averaged 654,000 total viewers, down about 2 percent week to week, while growing approximately 7 percent in adults 18–49 to an average of 67,000. Funny You Should Ask averaged about 430,000 total viewers across its hour, down roughly 5 percent, and 46,000 adults 18–49, down about 13 percent. Allen’s entire CBS late-night block is in repeats through mid-September.
At 12:37 a.m., NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers was also in repeats as the show kicked off a rare seven-week break. The show averaged 740,000 total viewers, down 22 percent from its final week with original episodes, and 109,000 adults 18–49, down 9 percent. Meyers is scheduled to return Sept. 21.
ABC’s Nightline, which aired five first-run episodes, averaged 676,000 total viewers, down 5 percent, while gaining 4 percent in the demo to 73,000.
Switching to cable, Fox News’ Gutfeld! averaged 2.946 million total viewers, up 1 percent, and 191,000 adults 18–49, up 19 percent. The show aired five first-run episodes in its 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT time slot.
Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live averaged 366,000 total viewers, down 8 percent, and 99,000 adults 18–49, down 21 percent across five first-run episodes.
The Daily Show did not air as it began its five-week summer hiatus, with Comedy Central airing other programming in its 11:00 p.m. time slot. The show is set to return Sept. 8.
Complete ratings charts for the week of Aug. 2, 2026, follow below.
Live+ 3 Ratings — All Viewers (P2+)
| Avg Share (%) | Avg Viewers (000’s) | Vs Last Wk | |
| 10:00 p.m. | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† 5 first-run epsiodes | 6.95 | 2,946 | +1% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)* 5 first-run episodes | 0.84 | 366 | -8% |
| 11:00 p.m. | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* did not air | — | — | — |
| 11:35 p.m. | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 5 repeats | 4.14 | 1,006 | -5% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 4 first-run episodes, 1 repeat | 6.59 | 1,561 | +1% |
| Comics Unleashed 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.92 | 758 | -4% |
| 12:05 a.m. | |||
| Comics Unleashed 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.63 | 550 | 0% |
| 12:35 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.63 | 466 | -2% |
| 12:37 a.m. | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* 5 first-run episodes | 3.80 | 676 | -5% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 5 repeats | 4.58 | 740 | -22% |
| 1:05 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.63 | 393 | -8% |
Live+ 3 Ratings — In the Demo (P18-49)
| US Share (%) | US AA Proj (000’s) | Vs Last Wk | |
| 10:00 p.m. | |||
| Gutfeld! (FNC)† 5 first-run episodes | 2.42 | 191 | +19% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)* 5 first-run episodes | 1.21 | 99 | -21% |
| 11:00 p.m. | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* did not air | — | — | — |
| 11:35 p.m. | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 5 repeats | 3.09 | 144 | +2% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 4 first-run episodes, 1 repeat | 5.00 | 226 | +23% |
| Comics Unleashed 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.58 | 79 | +8% |
| 12:05 a.m. | |||
| Comics Unleashed 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.33 | 55 | +5% |
| 12:35 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.41 | 49 | -6% |
| 12:37 a.m. | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* 5 first-run epsiodes | 2.12 | 73 | +4% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 5 repeats | 3.51 | 109 | -9% |
| 1:05 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.45 | 43 | -19% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.