‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Ratings Show Dramatic Swing: Here’s What Changed

Martin HolmesTue, July 14, 2026 at 1:25 PM UTC

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Tom Hanks and Jimmy Kimmel - Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube

Jimmy Kimmel is officially the new king of late-night after his ABC talk show averaged its highest ratings ever in the month of June.

According to LateNighter, citing Nielsen data, Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 3.15 million total viewers and 505,000 viewers in the key Adults 18-49 demographic in June. This was up 24 percent in total viewers and up a massive 112 percent in the demo compared to the month before. It marked the show’s highest monthly average in its 23 years on air.

Compared to the same period in 2025, Kimmel was up 66 percent in total viewers and up 69 percent in the 18-49 demo.

There are a couple of factors that led to such a huge ratings increase. Firstly, June was the first full month without competition from Stephen Colbert‘s The Late Show, which aired its final episode on May 21. CBS replaced Colbert with Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, which has failed to come anywhere close to The Late Show‘s numbers.

Secondly, four episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired after ABC’s coverage of the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final, providing significant lead-ins for Kimmel’s show, especially in the demo. For the June 3, 5, 8, and 10 episodes, Kimmel drew more than 700,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo, the most since his return from suspension episode on September 23.

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon also saw a boost in total viewers, averaging 1.47 million in June, up 4 percent from the previous month. However, the show, which had NBA playoff lead-ins in May, dropped by 19 percent in the key demo to an average of 195,000.

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CBS’ Comics Unleashed averaged 807,000 total viewers and 92,000 demo viewers in its 11:35 pm half-hour slot. This was down 16 percent from its six-episode run in May and down 6 percent in the demo. The 12:05 am episode averaged 548,000 total viewers (down 10 percent) and 67,000 demo viewers (up 6 percent).

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Elsewhere, James Corden‘s FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours averaged 632,000 total viewers and 201,000 demo viewers in the midnight slot.

ABC’s Nightline averaged 1.06 million total viewers (up 17 percent) and 163,000 demo viewers (up 109 percent) in the 12:37 am slot. Meanwhile, NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers averaged 975,000 total viewers (down 7 percent) and 124,000 demo viewers (down 21 percent) in the same slot.

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show averaged 1.22 million total viewers in June (up 12 percent) and 243,000 demo viewers (up 14 percent).

Fox News’ Gutfeld! averaged 2.9 million total viewers (down 5 percent) and 186,000 demo viewers (down 5 percent), while Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live averaged 290,000 total viewers (down 15 percent) and 80,000 demo viewers (down 27 percent).

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”