Gutfeld! on Fox News, airing at 10:00 PM ET (considered primetime by Nielsen but styled as late-night comedy), has consistently outperformed the major broadcast network late-night shows in total viewers and the key 18-49 demographic over the past year (September 2024–September 2025).
This dominance is attributed to its earlier slot, conservative appeal, and events like the 2024 election and guest appearances (e.g., Donald Trump drawing 4.9 million viewers in September 2024).
Broadcast shows lead in their official 11:35 PM late-night daypart among networks, but Gutfeld! tops all late-night programming overall, often by 1–2 million viewers nightly. Data below uses Nielsen Live+Same Day or Live+3/7 metrics for first-run episodes, excluding repeats.
📺Key Trends (2024–2025)
- Gutfeld!'s Growth: Up +32% in total viewers vs. full-year 2024 average in Q1 2025; +31.5% YoY in Q2 2025. It outdrew Colbert for 21 straight months in total viewers and 13 months in the demo through July 2025.
- Broadcast Declines: Excluding Gutfeld!, aggregate late-night viewership fell -9% YoY in total viewers and -21% in the demo for Q2 2025. Fallon saw the steepest drops (-16% total, -29% demo YoY).
- Demo Edge: Gutfeld! leads in 18-49 and 25-54, crucial for advertisers (e.g., 398K in 25-54 vs. Colbert's 288K through July 2025).
- Recent Context: Post-cancellation buzz boosted Colbert to 3.02M weekly in late July 2025, but Gutfeld! held at 3.16M. A Gutfeld appearance on Fallon in August 2025 spiked Tonight Show to 1.71M for that episode.