Stephen Colbert Ratings Soar After ‘Late Show’ Is Cancelled

Stephen Colbert ratings were already better than his rivals. But after The Late Show was unexpectedly cancelled by CBS, viewership for the show has shot up.

Colbert’s viewership rose by 81% following news of the cancellation. He far outpaced his rivals on ABC and NBC, according to data provided by Samba TV, which offers TV technology for audience data and omniscreen measurement.

During the week of June 26, prior to CBS’s surprise announcement when all three shows aired new episodes, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert held a solid lead with 755,000 U.S. households tuning in compared to 698,000 for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC and 672,000 for Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC.

However, following the July 17 announcement, the first week of new shows (July 21-24) for The Late Show jumped to average 1 million households. That was far ahead of Fallon’s 650,000 and Kimmel’s 565,000.

“According to Samba TV data, Colbert consistently outpaced his late-night peers by 8% to 12%, and in the wake of the cancellation news, his viewership spiked by 81% as audiences tuned in for his response,” said Alyson Sprague, vice president of measurement products at Samba TV.

Why Did Stephen Colbert Ratings Shoot Up?

People tuned in presumably hoping to find out an answer to the big question everyone has been asking: Why was Stephen Colbert cancelled? CBS has said the decision was purely financial, claiming the show loses tens of millions of dollars.

But since Colbert still wears the late-night crown and that still has value, many have speculated there were other reasons for the decision, namely Colbert’s criticism of President Donald Trump and recently declaration that CBS’s settlement of a lawsuit by Trump was essentially a bribe to get its parent company’s merger through regulatory hoops.

Colbert addressed all that and more on Monday’s show, where he also welcomed a slew of special guests, including fellow hosts Fallon, Seth Meyers (NBC), Jon Stewart (Comedy Central), John Oliver (HBO/Max), Andy Cohen (Bravo) and Anderson Cooper (CNN). Weird Al Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda also appeared but were “cancelled” in the middle of their bit.

Undoubtedly people wanted to see how Colbert would address the cancellation. He didn’t avoid the topic or pretend the decision was anything more than absurd, and he showed a lot of grace.

What Will Happen To Stephen Colbert Ratings Now?

CBS has said Colbert will stay on the air until May. It’s easy to imagine his viewership will continue to be strong until then, as the host now has no reason to censor his thoughts (not that he seemed to be doing that before—his comedy has always involved taking strong stances on issues).

Ironically, in cancelling Colbert, CBS may have created something that’s been lacking in late night since the Jay Leno-Conan O’Brien debacle more than a decade ago—a water cooler moment. Everyone wants to talk about what’s going to happen next.

Of course, for the longer term, former late-night leader Fallon should benefit. “By pulling the plug on The Late Show, CBS may be forfeiting its late-night crown, with Fallon and NBC now positioned to take the lead,” said Sprague.