Stephen Colbert’s Late Show ratings top Fallon’s Tonight Show for return episode
By Hector Cruz
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert returned Monday night, taking the top spot in the ratings over his late-night rivals.
Stephen Colbert was off throughout what turned out to be a chaotic first week of Donald Trump’s presidency, but he was back Monday night to give his reaction to all of the president’s executive actions, including the so-called Muslim ban. Viewers interested in hearing Colbert’s thoughts tuned in droves, giving The Late Show a commanding lead over The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live for the night, continuing the momentum he had from the inauguration episode and President Obama’s last days in office.
According to Deadline, the CBS series finished first in the overnight metered markets with a 2.4 rating compared to Fallon’s 1.9 and 1.7 for Kimmel. It also tied The Tonight Show in the 18-49 demo for the first time since September 2016, earning a 0.6 rating. While that’s an uptick for Colbert, the numbers are down considerably for Fallon, continuing a downward trend for the host since the new year. Kimmel lagged behind with a 0.4 rating.
The good news extended to The Late Late Show with James Corden, which edged out Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC with a 1.1 rating in the overnight metered markets vs. a 1.0, and also tied the show in the demo with a 0.3 rating. Meanwhile, on cable, The Daily Show (915,000 viewers, 0.34 demo rating) and Conan (531,000 viewers, 0.31 rating) posted average numbers, while Comedy Central’s @midnight with Chris Hardwick and the network’s premiere of the TV version of the podcast The Barstool Rundown drew similar ratings with 378,000 and 310,000 viewers, respectively, while both drawing a 0.2 rating among adults 18-49.
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Fallon’s decline in the ratings and Colbert’s rise may suggest a realignment in late-night and a renewed interest in The Late Show thanks in part to the new administration. Ratings are likely to remain high tonight thanks to a special appearance by former The Daily Show host and now-Late Show executive producer Jon Stewart.