Stephen Colbert's Replacement Ratings Revealed: How Byron Allen's Show Is Doing
TV Insider • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Stephen Colbert's final episode of The Late Show on May 21 drew a record-breaking 6.7 million viewers, marking the most-watched weeknight episode in the show's history.
- The show's replacement, Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed, debuted on May 22 with significantly lower ratings, attracting 995,000 total viewers and 116,000 in the 18–49 demographic, an 85-95% drop compared to Colbert's finale.
- Comics Unleashed also underperformed compared to Colbert's 2026 Q1 average of 2.69 million viewers and faced stiff competition from Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which both drew higher viewership.
- Allen Media Group highlighted that Comics Unleashed outperformed Fallon and Kimmel in over two dozen local markets, despite national ratings challenges.
- Byron Allen acknowledged he did not expect to match Colbert's ratings, emphasizing that Comics Unleashed has its own established audience and that his programming choices reflect his values, which may appeal to a smaller but loyal viewer base.