These last few months of the 2025 TV schedule could potentially mark the final time TV audiences will experience a full year of Big 3 late night talk shows, considering The Late Show’s cancellation will leave a Stephen Colbert-sized void on CBS. All of the hubbub surrounding the show and its parent companies has attracted even more attention to an already complicated situation, but a lot of those eyeballs are helping Colbert keep a dominating foothold over his competition. At least for the most part.
According to previously unveiled stats from Late Nighter, The Late Show holds the crown for the most watched late night option for Q3 2025, and it would be hard to argue against the idea that the July cancellation news inspired an uptick in viewership. (And possibly even helped fuel the show’s first Emmy win for Outstanding Talk Show.) Here’s how the July-September totals shook out in comparison with the prior three months, across both the 11:30 p.m. hour and the 12:30 a.m. block.
