The networks will always keep an eye on the linear ratings. They remain important due to commercials, and the networks need to know that they have the right shows airing. It’s why we see a lot of cancellations and schedule changes in the primetime slots. For the late night shows, there isn’t as much fear, but things are changing.
We know The Late Show is canceled, with the final episode airing on Thursday, May 21. While Jimmy Kimmel Live! will run for at least another year, there’s been little word on The Tonight Show and Late Night right now, and The Daily Show is only guaranteed to the end of 2026 in its current format for now.
Will the current surge in viewership change things? Probably not.
All the late night shows saw a surge
According to LateNighter, the linear ratings show that more people are tuning into each of the late night shows. The Late Show with Stephen Coblert took the top spot in the total audience figures, climing 12% to 2.41 million viewers. It’s not that surprising that the viewership has gone up, especially as the finale date has been set.
The demo numbers were up by 19%, but they weren’t enough to win. Jimmy Kimmel Live! continues to draw in more of the 18-49 rate, up 40% to 238,000 viewers. The total audience was up by 15% as well, but it trailed The Late Show by around 50,000 viewers.
The Tonight Show and Late Night both saw increase in the total audiences, with The Tonight Show up by 3% to 1.26 million and Late Night up by 10% to 959,000. Remember that Late Night is in the much later slot, so that is traditionally much lower than the other shows. However, the demo for Late Night was up by 11%, proving that Seth Meyers continues to connect with the viewers. The Tonight Show was the only traditional late night show to see a decline in the demo, dropping 13%.
The Daily Show was also up by 37% in the audience and 62% in the demo. And yes, Gutfield did win! Look, this series airs at 10/9c, which is the primetime slot now. It’s traditionally going to get more viewers in that timeslot! Nightline gained 9% in the total audience but was down 1% in the demo.
What does this mean for the late night shows?
Sadly, we don’t see this changing much for the plans for the late night shows. CBS is not going to change its mind on The Late Show. It will be interesting to see what’s to come in that timeslot come fall 2026, as right now, CBS looks to just be scrapping it altogether.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is already renewed through to May 2027, so then eyes are on the NBC shows. NBC is likely keeping both its shows. For one, they may not bring in huge numbers, but things are sure to change with CBS scrapping its late night slot. Secondly, the two shows are hosted by former Saturday Night Live team members, and that’s still hot on the channel.