The late-night ratings are in for the last competitive week of 2025, and it was another neck-and-neck finish between ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
According to LateNighter.com, citing Nielsen Live+3 data for the week of December 14 to 20, The Late Show held a 9,000 viewer lead over Jimmy Kimmel Live! in total viewers. The Late Show averaged 2.34 million viewers (down four percent on the week prior) compared to Kimmel’s 2.33 million viewers (up seven percent on the week before).
However, Kimmel led the way in the key adults 18-49 demo, averaging 252,000 viewers (up 12 percent on the previous week), a significant lead over Colbert’s 181,000 viewers (down 16 percent on the week prior).
Kimmel’s guests for his final week of 2025 included Michelle Obama, Mia Goth, Will Arnett, Kamala Harris, Macaulay Culkin, and Jason Clarke. Meanwhile, Colbert welcomed Paul Rudd, Lesley Manville, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Kumail Nanjiani, St. Vincent, and Hugh Jackman.
NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon finished the week with an average of 1.31 million viewers, down four percent on the week before. However, it rose 17 percent in the key demo, averaging 178,000 viewers.
Fallon’s final week of guests included Simu Liu, Jake Connelly, Alysa Liu, Finn Wolfhard, Martha Stewart, Nathaniel Rateliff, Timothée Chalamet, The Duffer Brothers, Caleb McLaughlin, and Carmelo Anthony.
