Stephen Colbert scores first ‘Late Show’ ratings win over ‘Tonight Show’ in 24 years

Stephen Colbert has brought the TV ratings crown back to CBS. The “Colbert Report” alum just landed the “Late Show’s” first season-long win among adults 18-49 in 24 years, just barely edging Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” in the process.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC finished third in the key demo, as well as in total viewers.

In terms of that latter metric, the overall audience tally, Colbert separated himself by Fallon by a pretty wide margin, claiming his third-straight victory there.

Below are the averages through May 19, 2019.

Adults 18-49 Ratings

“Late Show”: 0.52 “Tonight Show”: 0.51 “Jimmy Kimmel Live”: 0.38

Total Viewers

“Late Show”: 3.766 million “Tonight Show”: 2.429 million “Jimmy Kimmel Live”: 2.035 million

The last time “The Late Show” won the traditional Nielsen season in the key demo was the 1994-1995 season, which was early into David Letterman’s run.

More to come…