Colbert Is Gaining on Fallon in Ratings

When it comes to late night television, Jimmy Fallon has been king, but will it stay that way? The Tonight Show has, for the vast majority of Fallon’s tenure so far, enjoyed a comfortable lead in the ratings against its late-night brethren, including Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. The host, who enjoyed mega-stardom as the host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, has had to settle for 2nd and 3rd place in the overall ratings for most of his stint on the show thus far, the only exception being during his debut week in 2015. Now, for only the second time, The Late Show has managed to pass The Tonight Show in total viewers, and seems to be enjoying an upward swing.

During the last week of January, Colbert’s show beat out Fallon’s by the slimmest of margins. While Fallon maintained his hold on the crucial 18-49 demographic for the week, Colbert pulled in 2.77 million viewers to Fallon’s 2.76 million. While the difference might be minuscule, it could have big implications for Colbert and The Late Show. Colbert is, above all else, an elite political satirist. When he left The Colbert Report however, he had to leave his old persona behind as well. While he’s enjoyed solid ratings since he took over The Late Show, he hasn’t quite found that voice that allows him to click with his new audience on a broader level.

The ratings tick seems to coincide with the recent political climate, as it’s one that is ripe for satire or at least one in which viewers aren’t in the mood for games. Whereas Colbert has been more vocally critical of our controversial new president, Fallon has famously been rather friendly with him. In a country full of disgruntled people who are becoming increasingly more politically active, it appears that Colbert might finally be finding his voice and, with it, his audience.

While The Late Show’s lead surely won’t last, it may just be indicative of a rising interest in Colbert’s show. Only the future will tell.

[H/T]  New York Post