How do jimmy kimmel live ratings compare to late-night rivals in 2025?
Executive summary
Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged roughly 1.7–1.9 million viewers in mid‑2025 quarters, behind Stephen Colbert’s Late Show (about 2.4 million) but ahead of or competitive with Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show in several reports; Kimmel’s viewership spiked to more than 6 million for his post‑suspension return and performed even stronger online (ABC/YouTube figures cited by Deadline and Variety) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting shows divergent short‑term snapshots—seasonal/weekly Nielsen averages, a big single‑episode surge after suspension, and strong digital audience totals—so conclusions depend on which metric and time window you use [4] [5] [2].
1. Late‑night standings by the quarterly averages: Colbert in front, Kimmel in the middle
Aggregated quarter-by-quarter Nielsen reporting put Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show at the top of the late‑night heap (about 2.4 million in Q2/Q3‑type tallies), with Jimmy Kimmel Live! typically running in the high‑1 million to near‑1.8–1.9 million range and Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show trailing in many of those reports at roughly 1.1–1.2 million — a consistent hierarchy in the published ratings summaries [1] [4] [6].
2. Short‑term shocks changed perception: the suspension episode was colossal
Kimmel’s return after ABC’s temporary suspension produced an extraordinary outlier: ABC reported roughly 6.3–6.5 million live viewers for that single broadcast, with related YouTube clips attracting many millions more (deadline counted ~22 million on YouTube for the post‑suspension clip), turning a routine ratings quarter into a headline moment [5] [2] [7].
3. Weeklong and demo wins: context matters
When ABC promoted a Brooklyn week in late September, the show averaged 2.2 million viewers and a 0.22 rating in adults 18–49 for that specific week, which Variety and ABC said put Kimmel ahead of Colbert and Fallon for that timeframe — illustrating that weekly swings, special weeks and key‑demo performance can flip the order compared with quarterly averages [3].
4. Digital audiences and revenue complicate "who’s winning"
Business coverage emphasizes that raw linear Nielsen viewers no longer tell the whole story: Kimmel’s viral monologues and YouTube tallies (tens of millions for top clips) plus reported ad revenues cited by trade outlets show late‑night value is now split across platforms. Deadline and Business Insider note the broadcast numbers can be dwarfed by digital play counts and that networks consider those when assessing a show’s worth [2] [8].
5. Seasonality, sampling and differing data sources produce different headlines
Different outlets and measurement slices produce different lead stories: LateNighter and IMDb‑summaries show Colbert comfortably ahead in multi‑quarter averages while Forbes and other reports highlight that Kimmel’s 18–49 strength sometimes edges others; Hindustan Times and local stations reported lower month‑specific figures for Kimmel (around ~1.1 million for September) that coincided with the suspension controversy. The divergence stems from which period (Q2 vs. Q3 vs. single week), which metric (total viewers vs. 18–49 demo vs. live+same day) and whether digital views are included [6] [4] [9].
6. Political context and business decisions affect ratings narratives
Coverage ties Kimmel’s ratings story to the suspension and to broader culture‑war pressures: The New York Times reported the suspension and later extension of Kimmel’s ABC deal while outlets flagged that political controversy both drove a huge sampling spike and complicated advertiser and corporate decisions — meaning ratings headlines were inseparable from the political moment [10] [7] [11].
7. What to take away: no single metric gives the whole answer
If you judge by multi‑quarter Nielsen averages, Kimmel sits behind Colbert but ahead of Fallon in many summaries (roughly 1.7–1.85M vs. Colbert ~2.4M) [1] [6] [4]. If you judge by single‑episode impact or short promotional weeks, Kimmel’s numbers can top the field (6.3–6.5M episode; 2.2M Brooklyn week) and his digital footprint amplifies those moments far beyond linear TV [5] [3] [2]. Available sources do not mention comprehensive 2025 year‑end consolidated totals that combine all platforms into a single definitive ranking.
Limitations and competing views: outlets use different windows and metrics (Nielsen linear vs. live+same day vs. YouTube plays); trade sites emphasize advertising dollars and demos while news outlets emphasize cultural fallout—both shape how “who’s winning” is reported [8] [2] [10].