Inside Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’ Ratings Trainwreck
NBC's crown jewel falls to embarrassing low under 'SNL' alum's leadership
The folks at “The Tonight Show” might be popping Champagne this week.
Let them. The news for this iconic talk show hasn’t been good for some time.
Jimmy Fallon’s late-night showcase earned a rare ratings victory thanks to fellow “Saturday Night Live” alums.
During the week of Feb. 10, which welcomed “SNL” alum Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers as guests, “The Tonight Show” averaged a live-plus-same-day rating of 0.14 in the demo among adults 18-49, winning the week among its late-night competitors.
The good news ends there.
Fallon’s “Tonight Show” ratings are chronically behind not just Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” but his broadcast competitors. The show also cut down its programming from five nights to four late last year, another sign of the once-mighty show’s slippage.
Remember, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno lorded over “The Tonight Show” for decades, keeping it the most-watched late-night show in the modern era. Leno’s dominance over competitor David Letterman proved the most impressive given the latter’s unique brand.
That dominance ended after Fallon took over the show in 2014.
Now, Colbert’s “Late Show” is the top performer in the traditional 11:30 p.m. ET timeslot, followed by ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
This January 2025 snapshot isn’t an aberration.
Late Night TV Rankings January 2025
1⃣@GutfeldFox! @GregGutfeld
2⃣@StephenAtHome
3⃣@JimmyKimmel
4⃣@JimmyFallon
5⃣@JonStewart
6⃣@SethMeyers
7⃣@Nightline
8⃣ @Midnight
9⃣@Andy pic.twitter.com/nAFNUmO5qN— RoadMN (@RoadMN) February 21, 2025
What happened?
Fallon abandoned the Carson/Leno model, for starters. Those late-night legends didn’t pick a political side. They made fun of the president du jour, and rarely in a mean-spirited fashion. Leno appears to lean to the left, politically speaking. He’s no fan of President Trump.
You never knew it while watching his nightly monologues.
Carson set the gold standard for this bipartisan approach, and he reaped massive ratings as a result.
Fallon’s “Tonight Show” is mini-Resistance theater. He let President Joe Biden off the hook for four straight years, avoiding the obvious truths about the leader’s cognitive decline. That cowardice mirrored what Colbert and Kimmel did on their shows, but it meant Fallon didn’t pick up viewers who might crave truth in their late-night satire.
Fallon’s monologues are Colbert-lite. They’re left leaning but often toothless. If viewers want hardcore progressive comedy, they know where to go.
Right-leaning audiences similarly know Fallon doesn’t respect or speak to them. So they look elsewhere, either to “Gutfeld!” or other humorists like Tyler Fischer, Tim Dillon or Andrew Schulz.
The turning point for Fallon’s leftward lurch came during the 2016 presidential election. He invited candidate Trump on his show, treated him fairly and even tousled his signature ‘do.
The media savaged Fallon for “normalizing” Trump, and he conducted a mea culpa media tour. He could have defended himself by saying he treats all guests like … guests.
No. He begged for the corrupt media’s forgiveness instead.
That led to his political pivot and, sadly, his perpetual also-ran status in the late-night landscape. He avoids the same material his peers do – like the comically inept leadership from Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.
Fallon’s “Tonight Show” has cozied up to billionaires and apologized for decades’ old blackface material.
Leno’s final “Tonight Show” appearance drew more than 14 million viewers. How many will show up when Fallon ends his NBC tenure? Will the show even survive beyond him?
It all leads to an uncomfortable question: Who is the real Jimmy Fallon? He seems most comfortable with silly sing-a-long bits and apolitical sketches. He’s a solid mimic whose “SNL” background often comes in handy.
He could have cleared a bipartisan lane in the modern late-night field. Instead, he bowed to partisan pressure and ignored the classic Carson/Leno blueprint.
The ratings speak for themselves.
As much as Fallon seems to act like Colbert without glasses, only to get done in by the real deal, which is no lack of criticism of Colbert, NBC needs to hire a NONPOLITICAL Tonight Show host. The reason I don’t watch today’s late night talk shows is they seem like a Left-wing ech chamber, and until it stops, the ratings will slide.
I stopped watching all of late-night as it sucks. Not a single host works a full 5 night week anymore, every episode is the same, and they all book horrid musical guests. And not a single late-night show filmed in New York has ever booked DEF LEPPARD even though they have been releasing records for 45 years. Jay Leno was the most musically literate host while Fallon inflicts every Kpopper, boy band and teeny bopper on the planet.
It’s just one big, “how’s Jimmy Fallon making money” commercial. He spends more time promoting his books, nightmares attraction, Broadway show, records, TV specials like his Christmas Spectacular than he does bringing guest entertainment. We personally flip between him and Jimmy Kimmel to avoid his self serving free airtime.
I will say that Fallon is the least offensive of the early late night hosts. Jimmy Kimmel is beyond words when it comes to being about as far left as you can be. I don’t know if he truly is that or he’s just doing it so he doesn’t lose potential Hollywood elite guests. I can’t even watch a show anymore because all he does is make fun of our president. Colbert isn’t far behind. He too, is a Hollywood elitist butt kisser of the highest degree. Later at night is one of the worst of the four. Seth Meyers.! he might as well just go on MSNBC and put on a political show. I’m old enough to have loved Johnny Carson., I really really liked Jay Leno and even found Conan O’Brien hilarious at times! It’s a shame that the Tonight Show will continue downhill until and unless they get a host that is A-political. Just be funny, tell jokes. Do skits and forget the politics. There are enough news shows, and podcasts to take care of any person’s political needs in our country without you ruining, but should be a lighthearted end to an evening.
Hey Rick. Loved your comments here. I so agree with your assessment of late night. I like Colbert but the bad energy he puts out is exhausting. I can’t do any of their monologue. Musical guests? Sucks most times. I hope you have a nice evening ending. Thanks so much.
I don’t think The Tonight Show has suffered from too much/little political coverage; I think Jimmy tries too hard to be friends with the guests (maybe he is?), and the whole- let’s play a game thing is, well, boring. And IMO he comes off fake when greeting the audience, or praising what a guest is there to promote (Amazing! Unbelievable!) Can the show get back to its roots please (not the band)? Talk to guests, ask how was the process of what they’re there for, etc. Stop the stupid games!
Agreed that all of the current late night talk show hosts are causing their own demise by constantly making fun of Trump even the four years he was not in office. However Jay Leno ended his Tonight Show run in 2014 a full 2 years and a few months before the election where Trump won his first term, so it’s really not accurate to say that you never knew Leno didn’t like Trump by his monologues. Trump wasn’t running for president in 2014.
Johnny Carson was great, how bout Jack Parr and Steve Allen. They had great and funny shows, but probably most people who watched them are dead now and not reading this.
Glad I’m old enough to have memories of watching Carson. What a classy guy.
I remember one night he had Robin Williams on as a guest. Williams wanted to get political. He started bagging on pro-lifers.
Carson, being the ultimate pro, saw what was happening and quickly changed the subject. He wanted to do a show for all of America, not just half.
Fallon is just lame. NBC should have hired Craig Ferguson for that job/
Craig Rocks!
There was Johnny Carson and then there was NOTHING!
Mr. Carson was a genuinely funny guy and his guests were great people, with the occasional unknown. His interviews always brought out the best of his guests. His departure from late night tv AND the World saddened me.
I’ve TRIED to watch some of the others – Jay’s “headlines and signs” segments were good – the rest, not so much.
Letterman was a jerk – and not a funny one.
Can’t say much for colbert and the others, but then I don’t usually watch my toilet flushing after a bout with diarrhea!
Gutfield is funny – they say – I personally think he tries too hard so I only watched a little bit.
It’s kind of rough being from a generation that had GREAT Comedians and TV shows – one tends to have high standards!
Carson and Letterman were the best. I haven’t watched any late night shows since Dave retired.
That gutfeld guy is on earlier than any of the others. It’s 70+ year olds falling asleep