Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ finale sets a weeknight ratings record | CNN Business

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” went out on a literal high note. Thursday night’s series finale was the most-watched weeknight episode of Colbert’s eleven-year tenure on the show, according to overnight Nielsen ratings. Colbert and co. averaged 6.74 million viewers, even beating his first episode as host back in 2015, which averaged 6.55 million viewers. The ratings results must be bittersweet for Colbert since it wasn’t his choice to sign off. CBS decided last summer to cancel the show, citing financial pressures evident across the late-night TV landscape. Late-night talk shows like “The Late Show” have been shedding viewers for years in an increasingly fragmented media environment. Many fans who used to watch at 11:35 p.m. simply catch up later on YouTube or via social media. In the first quarter of 2026, “The Late Show” averaged about 2.7 million viewers a night, according to CBS. But Colbert’s finale had all the markings of big-event TV. His two main rivals, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, both opted to air repeat episodes on Thursday night, knowing most eyes would be on Colbert’s show. And Kimmel strongly encouraged his viewers to flip