The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ratings fall to new low

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert dips to a new ratings low, falling further behind Jimmy Kimmel Live to third place in the demo and among total viewers.

While Jimmy Fallon remains the undisputed king of late-night TV ratings-wise, far outpacing his rivals for the week of June 6, the race for second place continues to get interesting. The start of the summer season hasn’t been kind to Stephen Colbert, with ratings for his version of The Late Show falling to a new low since he took over for David Letterman last year, while Jimmy Kimmel Live continued to rise thanks in part to the NBA finals.

According to the most recently available ratings data provided by TV by the Numbers, Late Show averaged just 2.02 million viewers and a 0.38 demo rating between June 6 and 10, falling to third place behind Jimmy Kimmel Live, which had 2.58 million viewers and an improved 0.78 rating in the demo. This marks another week in which Kimmel leads Colbert in the 18-49 demo, as well as in total viewers. He also took the top spot the week before when his competitors were on hiatus. The comedian has benefited from not only the NBA finals, but also ABC’s other summer offerings that produce stellar ratings, including The Bachelorette, which Kimmel routinely references, and new offerings like Uncle Buck, which became the highest-rated summer comedy launch in nine years.

Meanwhile, CBS has offered very little original programming since the end of the regular TV season, with the exception of the low-rated BrainDead. However, this week, summer staple Big Brother returns, along with the family drama American Gothic, but it remains to be seen whether enough viewers will stick around for The Late Show after their local news to avoid another ratings dip.

More from Late Show

Like ABC, NBC also has a full slate of programming that includes reality and variety fare like America’s Got Talent, Maya & Marty and American Ninja Warrior, helping propel The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to yet another victory, increasing from a 0.7 to a 0.8 demo rating, and 3.32 million viewers. Late Night with Seth Meyers also got a boost, rising to a 0.4 rating from a 0.35 the week before, along with 1.44 million viewers. Both Late Night and Nightline (1.72 million viewers, 0.5 demo rating) did better in the 18-49 demo than The Late Show even though they air an hour later, and had lower overall viewership.

Despite the hype surrounding James Corden’s hosting of the Tony Awards, The Late Late Show may have been hurt by a weak lead-in, also falling from the week prior to just 1.06 million viewers and a 0.25 in the 18-49 demo. On cable, Conan was steady but low, averaging just under 500,000 viewers, along with a 0.2 rating.

Next: Late-night TV ratings: Jimmy Kimmel Live rises, beating Fallon

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on CBS. This week’s guests include Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Paul Dano, RuPaul, Kevin Hart and Taylor Schilling.

Home/Late Show