Late-Night Hosts Colbert and Kimmel Face Declining Viewership Amid Political Jokes: ’98 Percent of Jokes Aimed at Trump’

Late-night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, renowned for their sharp political humor, appear to be facing a tough year, according to recent ratings. Despite relentlessly targeting President-elect Donald Trump throughout the 2024 election cycle, their ongoing political commentary seems to be losing its appeal with audiences.

A study by the Media Research Center during the fall election period, from September 3 to October 25, revealed the extent of the political jabs. Colbert, Kimmel, and other late-night hosts made a total of 1,463 jokes about Trump, compared to just 35 jokes about Kamala Harris. A staggering 98 percent of these jokes were aimed at Trump, focusing largely on his conduct and policies.

However, the study didn’t stop at Trump. It also found that 78 percent of jokes targeting vice presidential candidates were directed at JD Vance, the MAGA-backed running mate, with 236 jokes aimed at the Ohio senator compared to just 66 jokes about Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

Despite the barrage of political humor aimed at Trump and his associates, the late-night talk shows seem to be losing their grip on viewers. Recent polling shows a stark disconnect between celebrity political commentary and the public’s interest. According to a Rasmussen poll, 75 percent of Americans said celebrity endorsements had little or no impact on their voting decisions during the presidential election.

Additionally, an AP-NORC poll found that only 40 percent of Democrats approved of celebrities sharing political views, while just 11 percent of Republicans and 12 percent of independents felt the same, Breitbart reported.

In response to the changing trends, NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon announced in September it would reduce its production schedule, airing new episodes four nights a week instead of five, with reruns on Fridays.

The decline in late-night viewership has been attributed to the growing trend of cord-cutting, particularly among younger audiences who prefer watching clips on YouTube or social media rather than tuning in to full broadcasts.

Colbert’s CBS show, traditionally the top-rated late-night program, averaged 2.6 million viewers during the 2023-24 season, a significant drop from 3.81 million five years ago. Meanwhile, Kimmel’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC saw an average of 1.37 million viewers during the same period.

The major networks are now struggling to compete with Gutfeld! on Fox News, which dominated the late-night comedy scene with an average of 2.8 million viewers in the third quarter of 2024.