NBC is banking on the NFL’s massive audience to boost The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this fall. The network announced on August 28, 2025, that the late-night program, typically airing weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET, will have four special Sunday night episodes following Sunday Night Football and local newscasts during the first three months of the football season.
Two of these episodes will air after games featuring the Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL’s most-watched team, fueled by their recent Super Bowl success and tight end Travis Kelce’s engagement to pop star Taylor Swift. “We’re hoping to capture some of those viewers for our show,” said Katie Hockmeyer, NBC’s executive vice president of late-night programming.
NBC tested this strategy last year, with a single post-Sunday Night Football episode of The Tonight Show delivering its highest viewership of the season. The move comes as linear TV struggles against streaming, but Sunday Night Football remains a ratings juggernaut, averaging over 20 million viewers per game and holding the title of TV’s top-rated program for 14 straight years.