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The week of Aug. 30 was one of those rare stretches when first-run late night went almost completely dark—and the ratings mostly went with it.
Of the shows LateNighter tracks, only ABC’s Nightline and Fox News’ Gutfeld! aired first-run episodes. They were also the only two programs to post any week-over-week gains, though in both cases those gains were limited to adults 18–49.
Nightline averaged 842,000 total viewers for the week, down 6 percent, but climbed 27 percent among adults 18–49 to 112,000. Gutfeld! averaged 2.382 million total viewers, down 4 percent, while rising 16 percent in the demo to 169,000.
At 11:35 p.m., an encore week of Jimmy Kimmel Live! took the top spot, averaging 1.368 million total viewers and 170,000 adults 18–49.
That was down 32 percent in total viewers and 11 percent in the demo from the previous week, when the show aired first-run episodes with guest host Jelly Roll. By comparison, Fallon, Meyers, and CBS’ Byron Allen block had already been in repeats.
NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon averaged 1.111 million total viewers, down 2 percent from its previous week of repeats, and 124,000 adults 18–49, down 9 percent.
CBS’ all-repeat Byron Allen block also slipped. Across its full hour, Comics Unleashed averaged approximately 651,000 total viewers and 90,000 adults 18–49, down 7 percent and 12 percent, respectively, from the week before.
Funny You Should Ask averaged approximately 450,000 total viewers across its hour and 64,000 adults 18–49, down about 5 percent in both measures.
NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, still in repeats amid its extended summer break, averaged 607,000 total viewers, down 6 percent, and 60,000 adults 18–49, down 29 percent.
The Daily Show and Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live did not air, with Comedy Central and Bravo instead airing alternate programming in their time slots.
Complete Nielsen Live+3 ratings for the week of Aug. 30 through Sept. 5, 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 episodes | 5.74 | 2,382 | -4% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)* did not air | — | — | — |
| 11:00 p.m. | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* did not air | — | — | — |
| 11:35 p.m. | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 5 repeats | 5.75 | 1,368 | -32% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 5 repeats | 4.69 | 1,111 | -2% |
| Comics Unleashed 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.84 | 728 | -11% |
| 12:05 a.m. | |||
| Comics Unleashed 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.76 | 574 | -2% |
| 12:35 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.70 | 476 | -5% |
| 12:37 a.m. | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* 5 first-run episodes | 4.76 | 842 | -6% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 5 repeats | 3.72 | 607 | -6% |
| 1:05 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.83 | 423 | -4% |
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 | 2.20 | 169 | +16% |
| Watch What Happens Live (Bravo)* did not air | — | — | — |
| 11:00 p.m. | |||
| The Daily Show (COM)* did not air | — | — | — |
| 11:35 p.m. | |||
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) 5 repeats | 3.64 | 170 | -11% |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC) 5 repeats | 2.67 | 124 | -9% |
| Comics Unleashed 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.01 | 100 | -18% |
| 12:05 a.m. | |||
| Comics Unleashed 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.91 | 79 | -1% |
| 12:35 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 1 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 1.99 | 69 | -7% |
| 12:37 a.m. | |||
| Nightline (ABC)* 5 first-run episodes | 3.15 | 112 | +27% |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC) 5 repeats | 1.88 | 60 | -29% |
| 1:05 a.m. | |||
| Funny You Should Ask 2 (CBS)* 5 repeats | 2.03 | 59 | -2% |
Ratings data © The Nielsen Company, used under license.
Late night ‘comedy’ shows have NEVER been off the air as they have been this late summer. This is more proof it is a managed decline continuing from the dropping of friday night shows to the house bands. It is all coming to an end. Kimmel has been unofficially confirmed canceled in 2027. Jon Liebowitz will bow out in 2027 or 2028. Seth meyers and Fallon are done after 2028. Bill Maher likely is too. The only one who could remain in some capacity is that British prick Oliver on HBO, but they are notoriously flighty so I doubt he will last beyond 2028 either.
Looks like boring Boomers will have to start a crochet circle because their evenings will be a lot quieter.
Did a boomer rape you in the bathroom at a taping for the Tonight Show as a teen or something? You have a weird hate boner for late night comedy. You should maybe try therapy?
Why are you so immature and disgusting. Obviously, you flunked out of tge third grade. Putz.
Some Millennial wannabe loser talking smack. Hilarious. Not really.
Don’t you be accusing others of being immature and dumb, when you can’t even spell as you attack others for being stupid, bitch!
I’m glad Iran and the Shia Crescent are crushing Judea. The world can no longer pretend we approve of you wicked Christ killers. Europa’s sons and its foreskins are yours no more.
You’d have been happy as an SS guard at Auschwitz, torturing and killing innocent Jews!
Those Nazi filth didn’t end up on the right side of history! And neither will anti Semitic fuck holes, like you, bitchface!
Some great points. The budgets and staffing have remained the same with less shows being produced each season. These hosts are also paid like it is still 2015 in the Television Universe. Unions have made Late Night Television too expensive to produce.
Blame unions for all the trouble in the world, as you continue to munch on Dear Toddler Drumpf’s unwiped ass, you disgusting whore of a loser!
It’s not unions, it’s that a good late night show requires good writers and that has a cost. The best shows in this format outside the US are weekly for a reason
Your wishful thinking? Bitch, it’s obvious you’re too stupid to know how to change yourself, much less be critiquing late night shows! Leave the dressing up to your mommy, as you’re in obvious need of help, Wee-Wee!
The current late night shows are NOT comedic in nature. The only thing worth laughing at is you. A hillbilly simpleton
You’re too fucking stupid to have a sense of humor! For guys that claim to be tough, you get easily triggered!
How much does a rebroadcast cost CBS, ABC, and NBC to air? With music rights, etc. Byron’s shows are
way cheaper per viewer reached.
Penny-wise, but pound-foolish. I’m sure they are saving money in the short term, but the massive loss in viewership will have ripples throughout the entire network and their affiliates, and the true cost of their short-sighted moves will reveal itself over the long run. Same goes for Bari Weiss and the sinking CBS News ratings — destroying an American institution in the name of pushing an ideology.
Maybe they should stop producing prime-time originals and just sell the time to advertisers for infomercials? I’m sure that would be much cheaper! Mike Lindell and his lumpy, shit pillows at 8pm, some boner bills at 9pm, and maybe shill some Trump commemorative coins in the 10pm hour?
Disagree on CBS. The only “Ideology” is non-bias. I like Tony and crew. There is good energy. Please watch and judge for yourself.
I think that unfortunately, yes, the debate about TV will inevitably go to whether it makes sense to keep valuable spectrum for rebroadcast and infomercials and if it makes sense to rely on fragile internet connections for disaster coordination. Because it’ll inevitably leave there.
I agree that networks need to have something to keep TVs turned on when people are going to sleep. Simply airing Friends or some Byron Allen episode from the 1990’s is not going to make the cut.
But do anyone want to keep TV networks? I think that TV is more the problem than late night
You’ll watch anything that’s been okayed by your Dear Toddler Drumpf, you mouth breathing smooth brain!
Yes D Bag. Unions cost money. Like the cough cough “non-profit” and antiquated, job killing WGA.
The fucking Drumpf lickers excuse for everything, including immigrants!
If it were then other countries would be doing this format. The Turks and South Koreans have made huge strides on TV production, the Europeans have several NCIS/Law and Order killers of its own.
But good, daily late shows are strikingly rare internationally and if anything late night comedy is receding everywhere(See Mock the Week, Les Guignols) , even where there is no WGA or collective bargaining for TV.