Late night ratings report: Viewership drops but Jimmy Fallon stays on top

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon continued to top late night ratings despite viewership declining across the board.

Jimmy Fallon has mastered the art of optimism and staying positive. That certainly seems to be his approach in everything he does while hosting The Tonight Show. And now it looks like that same philosophy can be applied to his standings in the late night ratings.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had kept a steady and consistent lead over his closest competitor, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, for some time now. Much of the credit for that lead went to how Colbert has jumped head first into covering Trump. While other shows and media outlets worry about “Trump fatigue,” Colbert has used his political humor to take over the top spot in late night.

But Fallon’s Tonight Show remained close in the ratings. The success of that show is much more due to viral clips and trending guest stars than anything else. That approach has been what works for Fallon since day one and he’s remained steadfast in that despite the charging Colbert.

However not much could prevent an overall decline in late night viewership over the past week. The Tonight Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! were among the shows with a decline in viewers. Yet while viewership declined, The Tonight Show remained at the top of the ratings for the week. There’s some optimism for you Falpals!

The only shows that experienced a bump in viewers compared to the week before were The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Conan. It’s a good sign for Conan that in it’s return from hiatus with a new half-hour format, the show’s fans were eager for new episodes.

Overall Jimmy Fallon’s lead over Stephen Colbert for the past week is extremely slim. Whether or not it is the sign of a trend that The Tonight Show will be back on top or it’s just a small deviation from the norm remains to be seen. Jimmy Kimmel LIve! remains comfortably in third while Conan should be encouraged moving forward. Keep checking in with Last Night On for all the late night coverage you need!