CBS Pulled the Plug on Stephen Colbert — Then Watched Millions of Viewers Walk Straight to the Competition
CBS Pulled the Plug on Stephen Colbert — Then Watched Millions of Viewers Walk Straight to the Competition
“CBS GOT RID OF COLBERT… AND MILLIONS OF VIEWERS APPEAR TO HAVE LEFT WITH HIM.” The fallout from Stephen Colbert’s departure is becoming impossible to ignore. New ratings data shows Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon enjoying major audience gains, while the show that replaced Colbert continues to struggle in the very time slot he once dominated. Industry insiders are now asking the question nobody at CBS wants to answer: Did the network accidentally hand its biggest rivals a late-night victory? The numbers are raising eyebrows across television — and the gap is far bigger than many expected.
Just days after Stephen Colbert signed off from The Late Show, the battle for late-night television took a dramatic turn.
And according to newly released ratings data, the biggest winners may not be CBS.
Instead, rival hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon appear to be benefiting from a massive audience reshuffle that has left industry observers questioning what happens next for the network that ended one of late night’s most successful franchises.
The Audience Didn’t Disappear — It Moved
For months, critics of CBS’s decision argued that eliminating The Late Show risked sending loyal viewers elsewhere.
The latest numbers suggest that may be exactly what happened.
On June 1, the first night both ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon returned with new episodes following Colbert’s farewell, both programs posted significant gains.
Kimmel led the late-night race with 2.185 million viewers, marking a remarkable 53 percent increase compared to the same night a year earlier.
Even more striking was the growth among younger viewers. The show’s audience in the key 18–49 demographic reportedly jumped 178 percent year-over-year.
Meanwhile, Fallon also enjoyed a boost, attracting 1.3 million viewers and posting gains across multiple demographics.
The message from viewers appeared clear: they were still watching late night — just not on CBS.
A Stunning Collapse in Colbert’s Former Time Slot
The contrast became even more dramatic when compared with CBS’s new lineup.
Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, which now occupies Colbert’s former 11:35 p.m. slot, attracted just 628,000 viewers on the same night.
That represents a staggering decline compared with the audience Colbert regularly delivered during his final season.
The show had already struggled during its debut, drawing fewer than one million viewers. The latest numbers suggest the challenge may be growing rather than improving.
For many television analysts, the most surprising aspect isn’t that the replacement show trails Kimmel and Fallon.
It’s the size of the gap.
The Shadow of a 6.7 Million Viewer Goodbye
The ratings become even harder to ignore when placed alongside Colbert’s farewell episode.
His final Late Show broadcast attracted 6.74 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode of his entire 11-year run.
The emotional finale featured appearances from Paul McCartney, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, and several other high-profile guests.
It wasn’t simply a farewell.
It was a reminder of how much influence Colbert still held in the late-night landscape.
Less than two weeks later, CBS’s replacement program was drawing less than one-tenth of that audience.
Byron Allen Says He’s Not Replacing Colbert
To be fair, Byron Allen has never claimed that Comics Unleashed was designed to become the next Late Show.
In fact, he has repeatedly stated the opposite.
Allen argues that his long-running comedy panel series serves a different audience and operates under a completely different business model.
Under the arrangement, Allen Media Group purchases the airtime from CBS and handles its own advertising sales, meaning the network is less dependent on ratings performance than it was during Colbert’s era.
Financially, CBS believes the strategy works.
But the ratings story paints a different picture.
The Debate Is Only Getting Louder
For supporters of Colbert, the numbers are being interpreted as proof that viewers followed the host rather than the network.
For critics of CBS’s decision, the ratings have become fresh ammunition in the ongoing debate surrounding the cancellation.
And for Kimmel and Fallon, the situation has unexpectedly created an opportunity to capture viewers looking for a new late-night home.
The most revealing takeaway may be this:
The audience didn’t abandon late-night television.
They simply abandoned the channel that abandoned Stephen Colbert.
Whether that trend continues in the months ahead could determine the future of the entire late-night landscape.
Harris Faulkner explains Fox News absence as she steps away for important family commitment
Harris Faulkner explains Fox News absence as she steps away for important family commitment
Harris Faulkner has given viewers a personal update while taking some time away from her regular daytime duties at Fox News, explaining that family commitments are behind her temporary absence.
The 60-year-old anchor, who normally leads The Faulkner Focus before joining Outnumbered, revealed that her break includes family time and helping with a move back into the college dorms.
Faulkner’s update offered reassurance about why she has been away from her usual television schedule, while also giving followers a glimpse into an important moment for her family.
“While I take a break for family and fun… And a college move back into the dorms… some summer moments to put some smiles and love into your algorithms,” she wrote.
“Joy to you!”
Faulkner shares her ‘life toolkit’ for parents
While away from her daytime show, Faulkner also shared a lighthearted video directed at fathers dealing with challenges at home.
“Hey dad, you may have tools for everything you need to repair, but what happens when something comes up for your family, you don’t know you have the right tool for?” she asked.
Harris Faulkner / X
The Fox News anchor then introduced what she called her “life toolkit,” holding up three separate pieces of paper to reveal what she believes parents can turn to when facing difficult situations.
“You gonna need faith, you gonna need scripture and you definitely gonna need prayer,” Faulkner said before offering some encouragement: “Go dads.”
Harris Faulkner / X
The message reflected the importance Faulkner has long placed on faith and family, two subjects she has occasionally discussed despite generally keeping her home life private.
A major chapter for the Faulkner family
Faulkner shares two daughters, Bella and Danika, with her husband, media consultant Tony Berlin. Their eldest daughter began college in the fall of 2025.
Months before that milestone, Faulkner spoke publicly about some of the concerns she had as her daughter prepared for college.
The Faulkner family during Arianna Grande’s concert / Instagram
In a February 2025 interview with the Daily Mail, Faulkner discussed worries connected to both race and religion.
“Am I more worried about them standing out for their hair texture and their skin color or their faith?” she said. “I’m worried about all of it. And not just for my kids.”
Faulkner also expressed support for Jewish students facing hatred on college campuses, saying they should know that they have people standing alongside them.
Her concerns reflected the family environment in which she and Berlin raised their daughters. Faulkner is a Baptist Christian, while Berlin is Jewish, and their children have been exposed to traditions from both faiths.
Raising their daughters with different traditions
Faulkner previously discussed that aspect of family life during a 2020 interview with PEOPLE.
“We’re raising our girls predominantly Christian but they’re exposed to everything,” she explained, noting that the family also observes Passover and reads the Haggadah.
Faulkner has described her biracial daughters as an example of how people from different backgrounds can come together.
Harris Faulkner / Instagram
She also said she did not shield Bella and Danika from difficult conversations about events happening around them, even when they were younger.
During the same interview, Faulkner recalled her then-13-year-old daughter asking when the problems she was seeing would end.
“It will end when people decide that resilience and surviving this is more important than being right,” Faulkner recalled telling her.
Family comes first during her Fox News break
Faulkner has been a familiar presence at Fox News for more than two decades, having joined the network as a correspondent in 2005.
She currently anchors The Faulkner Focus at 11 a.m. ET before appearing as a co-host of Outnumbered at noon.
Harris Faulkner / Fox News
Her decision to temporarily step away comes during an important period at home as her family handles another college move.
Rather than leaving viewers wondering about her absence, Faulkner has made clear that she is taking time for “family and fun” while helping with the return to college.
And even while away from her usual Fox News chair, she has continued sharing the values she turns to in her own family life — faith, scripture and prayer.
