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Is there a new king of late night?
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld had the best-rated week ever last week, where he easily surpassed Late Night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert.
On the week ending on August 12th, Gutfeld! averaged an audience of 2.355 million viewers.
The next best ratings were from alleged Late Night comedian Stephen Colbert, who managed 2.143 million viewers.
Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel were a distant 3rd and 4th in ratings.
Gutfeld’s ascension to the top of the late-night ratings is impressive, but not altogether surprising. The former Maxim editor has always been a rating juggernaut, even in the highly competitive late-night landscape.
What is surprising, however, is that Colbert – who has long been considered the king of late night – was so easily dethroned. Could it be that Colbert’s political leanings are finally starting to turn off viewers?
Gutfeld’s show averaged 2.7 million total viewers, while Colbert averaged 2.6 million. In the key demographic of adults 25-54, Gutfeld averaged 377,000 viewers, while Colbert averaged 353,000.
The rating victory comes as Fox News continues to dominate the cable news landscape. The network finished August as the most-watched basic cable network for the 35th consecutive month.
Fox News also topped all of cable last week in total day and primetime viewership. The network averaged 1.7 million total viewers in primetime and 1.3 million in total day.
MSNBC finished second in both categories, averaging 1.5 million viewers in primetime and 992,000 in total day. CNN was third with 1.2 million viewers in primetime and 767,000 in total day.
The rating victory for Gutfeld is a sign that Fox News’ primetime lineup is as strong as ever. Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham all finished in the top five of cable news last week in total viewers.
Hannity was the most-watched show on cable news, averaging 3.3 million viewers. Carlson was second with 2.8 million, followed by Ingraham (2.7 million), Gutfeld (2.7 million), and Colbert (2.6 million).
The strong ratings for Fox News come as the network is facing increased scrutiny from Democrats and the media. Last week, House Democrats launched an investigation into whether the network violated laws by coordinating with the Trump administration.
And on Tuesday, CNN sued the Trump administration for access to White House press briefings. The suit comes after CNN reporter Jim Acosta had his press credentials revoked following a confrontation with a White House aide.
Despite the scrutiny, Fox News continues to be the most-trusted news source in the country. A recent poll from Gallup found that 42 percent of Americans trust Fox News, while only 11 percent trust CNN.
The poll also found that Fox News is the most-watched news network in the country, with an average of 2.4 million viewers. MSNBC was second with 1.6 million, followed by CNN with 1.2 million.
And in the key demographic of adults 25-54, Fox News averaged 479,000 viewers last week, while MSNBC finished second with 353,000 and CNN was third with 321,000.
With its strong ratings and trusted brand, Fox News is poised to remain the top news network in the country for the foreseeable future.
