Which late-night shows had the biggest year-over-year ratings gains in 2025?

1. Gutfeld! was the standout year‑over‑year gainer

LateNighter’s Q2 2025 Nielsen summary identifies Gutfeld! as the only show to grow across both key metrics year‑over‑year, posting +31.5% in total viewers and +24% in the 18–49 demo compared with Q2 2024 — the largest YoY increase among the programs tracked ^[1]. LateNighter and repeat reporting (TV Insider/IMDb syndication) emphasize that Gutfeld!’s growth was unique among late‑night offerings in that quarter ^{[2] [1]}.

2. Broadcast late‑night largely fell year‑over‑year; exceptions were limited

LateNighter’s analysis shows that excluding Gutfeld!, aggregate linear late‑night viewership fell -9% YoY in total viewers and -21% in the 18–49 demo for Q2 2025 ^[1]. That means most traditional network shows were losing audience relative to the prior year even as isolated episodes or months produced gains ^[1].

3. Which broadcast shows posted gains in specific months or metrics

Several broadcast shows registered month‑to‑month or demo gains in 2025 reporting: The Daily Show posted an 11% demo gain in May and had solid monthly growth in June ^{[3] [5]}. Nightline recorded modest gains in March and other months ^[4]. Jimmy Kimmel Live! showed demo and monthly improvements at times ^[5], but these were not framed in the sources as the biggest YoY winners across the year ^{[5] [3] [4]}.

4. Context: time slot, platform and classification matter

LateNighter’s rankings mix network late‑night and cable primetime shows, and some coverage notes that Gutfeld! airs before 11pm (a primetime slot) though it is often discussed in late‑night discourse; LateNighter nevertheless highlights its YoY growth relative to other talk shows ^{[1] [6]}. Statista and other outlets reiterate Colbert and Kimmel’s raw audience sizes but do not contradict Gutfeld!’s YoY percentage gains ^[7]. That means headline conclusions depend on which programs and time windows a reporter counts as “late night.”

5. Short‑term spikes vs sustained YoY growth

Weekly and monthly pieces show short‑term spikes driven by special guests or news events: Taylor Swift appearances lifted Fallon and Meyers week‑to‑week; Colbert’s cancelation and subsequent coverage produced temporary surges in July 2025 ^{[8] [9] [10]}. These spikes can create large week‑over‑week or month‑over‑month changes but do not replace the Q2 YoY metric that identified Gutfeld! as the single program with sustained YoY increases across both key ratings measures ^{[1] [8] [10]}.

6. What the sources don’t say or limitably cover

Available sources do not provide a complete, single table comparing every late‑night show’s full 2025 YoY percentage change across all quarters; LateNighter’s Q2 write‑up supplies the clearest YoY comparison and singles out Gutfeld! ^[1]. Nielsen raw datasets and network‑by‑network quarterly spreadsheets are not included in the links provided here, so deeper cross‑checks or alternative calculations cannot be confirmed from these documents alone ^[1].

7. How to read these numbers as a media consumer

Percent gains can overstate competitive importance when a base audience is small; Gutfeld!’s large percentage gains came from a high starting point in cable prime time, which LateNighter flags while still noting the show’s YoY dominance ^{[1] [6]}. By contrast, Colbert and Kimmel routinely lead in raw total viewers in the 11:35 p.m. hour across months and quarters ^{[2] [7]}, even when their YoY trends fluctuate.

Bottom line: based on the available reporting, Greg Gutfeld’s program produced the biggest documented year‑over‑year gains in the Q2 2025 late‑night roundups published by LateNighter and cited in other outlets ^{[1] [2]}. Other shows recorded notable short‑term boosts or monthly/demo gains, but none matched Gutfeld!’s YoY growth across both metrics in the sources provided ^{[1] [3] [4]}.