Fact check: How do Stephen Colbert's Late Show ratings compare to Jimmy Kimmel's in 2025?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided indicate that Stephen Colbert's Late Show ratings are higher than Jimmy Kimmel's in terms of total viewers ^{[1] [2] [3]}. According to the data, in Q2 2025, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert averaged 2.42 million total viewers, outpacing Jimmy Kimmel Live! which averaged 1.77 million viewers ^{[1] [3]}. However, in the 18-49 demo, Jimmy Kimmel Live! slightly edged out The Late Show with 220,000 viewers versus 219,000 ^[1]. Additionally, September 2025 data shows that while both shows experienced a drop in viewership, Colbert's show retained a larger overall audience ^[2].

• Key ratings data:
• Q2 2025: Colbert (2.42M), Kimmel (1.77M) ^{[1] [3]}
• Q2 2025 (18-49 demo): Kimmel (220k), Colbert (219k) ^[1]
• September 2025: Colbert (2.812M), Kimmel (1.104M) ^{[2] [4]}

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Some analyses lack specific Nielsen ratings data for either show, such as the Hindustan Times article ^[4], which does not contribute to the quantitative comparison for 2025. Furthermore, sources like ^[5] and ^[6] do not provide information about the current ratings of Stephen Colbert's show in comparison to Jimmy Kimmel's show, instead focusing on other aspects such as show cancellations or suspensions ^{[5] [6]}. It is also worth noting that The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon had 1.19 million viewers in Q2 2025, which is another relevant data point in the late-night TV landscape ^[1].

• Alternative viewpoints:
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon's ratings ^[1]
• Impact of show cancellations or suspensions on ratings ^{[5] [6]}

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement asks for a comparison of Stephen Colbert's Late Show ratings to Jimmy Kimmel's in 2025, without providing any context or acknowledging the complexity of TV ratings, which can be influenced by various factors such as time slots, target audiences, and current events ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. Some sources, like ^[5], mention that Stephen Colbert's show was canceled, which could be misleading if taken out of context, as it does not necessarily relate to the current ratings comparison ^[5]. The sources that benefit from this framing are those that focus on the controversy surrounding late-night TV shows, such as ^[5] and ^[6], which report on show cancellations and suspensions ^{[5] [6]}. On the other hand, sources like ^[1], ^[2], ^[3], ^[1], and ^[1] provide a more neutral, fact-based comparison of the TV shows' ratings ^{[1] [2] [3]}.