Key Takeaways
- Jimmy Kimmel’s scheduled summer hiatus helped NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon rise to the top of late‑night ratings for the week of June 21.
- While Kimmel’s show aired only reruns, its audience fell sharply—44 % fewer total viewers and 45 % fewer adults 18‑49.
- NBC’s Tonight Show averaged 1.48 million total viewers (up 14 %) and 186,000 adults 18‑49 (up 1 %) across four new episodes and a repeat.
- CBS’s Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen remained a distant third, drawing roughly 700,000 total viewers and 85,000 in the 18‑49 demo.
- Kimmel’s summer breaks have been written into his ABC contract since 2020; guest hosts such as Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll will fill in while he is away.
Jimmy Kimmel’s summer vacation, beginning June 18, created a ratings opening that NBC seized. While Kimmel was off the air, his ABC talk‑show Jimmy Kimmel Live! ran only repeat episodes, allowing rival programs to capture a larger share of the late‑night audience. The most notable beneficiary was NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which aired four original episodes and a repeat during the week of June 21 and climbed to the top of the broadcast late‑night rankings. The shift shows how scheduled host absences can reshuffle the competitive landscape, giving rival networks a chance to gain ground when a leading show is in rerun mode.
According to Nielsen data cited by LateNighter, The Tonight Show averaged 1.48 million total viewers for that week, a 14 % increase over the previous period. In the key advertising demographic of adults aged 18‑49, the program drew 186,000 viewers, up 1 %. The gain came despite one of the five slots being a repeat, indicating that the fresh episodes were strong enough to lift overall averages. The uptick helped NBC secure the coveted 11:35 p.m. ET time slot, traditionally the most watched half‑hour in late‑night television. The modest rise in the 18‑49 band shows the core audience remained steady while the show attracted additional casual viewers during Kimmel’s break.
In stark contrast, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired exclusively reruns while its host was on vacation. The show’s total audience fell to 1.42 million viewers, a 44 % drop compared with its usual first‑run numbers. The adult 18‑49 demographic plummeted to 150,000 viewers, down 45 %. The steep decline underscores how heavily the program relies on fresh material and Kimmel’s personal brand to drive viewership. Without new episodes, many regular viewers tuned out or migrated to competing offerings. The ratings slide also highlights the risk networks face when a star host takes extended time off, even when the absence is contractually guaranteed.
Other late‑night shows showed mixed results. CBS’s Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen, which replaced the canceled Late Show With Stephen Colbert, averaged about 700,000 total viewers and 85,000 adults 18‑49 across its two half‑hour episodes. In the 12:35 a.m. slot, ABC’s Nightline led with 857,000 total viewers (down 15 %) and 75,000 in the 18‑49 demo (down 30 %). NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers trailed at 692,000 total viewers (down 24 %) and 86,000 in the key demographic (down 15 %). CBS’s Funny You Should Ask rose modestly to 480,000 total viewers (up 7 %) and 77,000 adults 18‑49 (up 33 %). These numbers illustrate how shifts in one program’s schedule affect rivals across the post‑prime‑time landscape.
Kimmel’s summer hiatus is not spontaneous; it has been part of his ABC contract since 2020, allowing scheduled breaks while the show continues with guest hosts. He signed off for his current break on June 18, and a roster of notable personalities will step in during his absence. Tiffany Haddish will begin guest‑hosting on Monday, July 6, followed later by Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson and Jelly Roll. The arrangement keeps Jimmy Kimmel Live! on air with fresh faces, giving the host time to recharge. This benefits both the star, who gets rest, and the network, which maintains continuity while leveraging the draw of high‑profile substitutes.