Jimmy Fallon is celebrating a rare ratings milestone. The Tonight Show just delivered its largest audience in more than a year, marking a notable win in an increasingly competitive late-night landscape. In an era when viewership spikes are hard to come by, the numbers signal one of Fallon’s strongest showings since late 2024.
On February 6, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon drew 2.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, marking the show’s largest audience in just over 14 months. The episode delivered Fallon his strongest numbers since the 2024 Thanksgiving episode, which benefited from an NFL lead-in.
The key difference this time? The 2026 Winter Olympics. NBC’s broadcast of the Milan-Cortina Opening Ceremony handed Fallon a massive platform, funneling a primetime-sized audience directly into his late-night show. The Olympic boost isn’t new, but it was particularly notable this year. Fallon’s post-Olympics episode was up 14% compared to the Tonight Show telecast that followed the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
As the full-time home of Sunday Night Football and the Olympics (as well as a rotating Super Bowl), the NBC network routinely hands Fallon some of the most valuable lead-ins on television. When those major sporting events deliver, so does The Tonight Show.
Fallon’s strongest ratings spikes in recent years have often coincided with televised sports carried by NBC. A Thanksgiving episode boosted by NFL coverage and post-Super Bowl airings have historically produced similar lifts. Unlike many of his late-night peers, Fallon’s biggest ratings moments aren’t typically driven by controversy or must-see interviews. Instead, they’re powered by the network schedule.
That’s a different story than ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert often see viewership surges when political news dominates the national conversation or when their monologues go viral. Controversies involving the hosts also help, as we saw in the episodes following Colbert's cancellation and Kimmel's suspension.
Meanwhile, The Tonight Show tends to lean into celebrity interviews, musical performances, and comedy bits that appeal to a broad audience. That approach pairs especially well with event television like the Olympics, when viewers sticking around after hours of competition may be looking for something lighter.
Of course, Olympic bumps are temporary. Late-night ratings settle back to their regular levels once the tentpole event ends. But these periods highlight The Tonight Show’s strategic advantage by being aligned with a network that dominates live sports.