Ever since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ended on the 2026 TV schedule, it’s been interesting to see how the other late-night shows’ ratings have changed. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings have improved since Colbert’s series ended. Now, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, who is also a friend and outspoken supporter of Colbert, has wryly reacted to his own ratings boost.
Since May, Kimmel’s ratings have been on the rise, and they’re the highest they’ve been in six years among the 18 to 49 demographic. Specifically, Jimmy Kimmel Live had a record-breaking month in June, as it averaged 3.15 million viewers. Without context about what happened one month earlier, that’s great news. With the knowledge that Colbert’s show, which was the highest-rated late-night show, ended in May, it’s not as fantastic. When asked about this during a conversation with Variety, Kimmel “slyly” said:
The ratings are very strong, which we are very grateful to CBS for their wisdom. We were doing pretty well before that, but that really helped.
Considering this statement was described as sly, and the track record Kimmel has of supporting Colbert, this comment feels quite sarcastic. The late-night host was very opposed to the cancellation of The Late Show, and he even put up a billboard to support Colbert’s Emmy campaign over his own last year. So even though, yes, a bump in ratings is good, it seems he is considering the unfortunate reason they could be that way.
Plus, in the same report where Kimmel spoke about his “strong” ratings, he also said the door is open if Stephen Colbert wants to come and host Jimmy Kimmel Live. In fact, Kimmel said he asked the former host of The Late Show if he wanted to be a guest host on the ABC program this summer. So, all in all, it’s pretty obvious the two comedians are on great terms, and it would seem that the one still hosting a late-night show is being wry about his own increased ratings.
Across the full season, Kimmel was up 34% from last season, growing from 1.95 million to 2.62 million. That means he’s had his most-watched season of Jimmy Kimmel Live since his 2014-2015 season. So, on a more sincere note, Kimmel explained that these numbers show that people are still interested in late night, and he means all late night, not just his own show:
It’s silly how people go wild about a podcast that’s No. 5, and the numbers still don’t even compare to a television show. There’s still a lot of people watching late night television, and I include the other shows in that. And there are still a lot of people looking at our shows on YouTube the next day, and there’s a lot of people who are interested in what we have to say. They may just may not necessarily be watching it on their TV, but it seems like a little bit of people are coming back to their old friend television.
There’s been plenty of conversations about whether late-night is dying, and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show certainly amplified them. Jimmy Kimmel was also suspended for a few days, which led to questions about the future of the format. However, as he said, there’s clearly still an interest in these programs.
So, while The Late Show came to an end, Jimmy Kimmel Live and others will carry on. To watch Kimmel’s show, specifically, be sure to tune in to ABC weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.
