Ratings continue to rise for left-leaning late-night hosts willing to write and deliver politically-charged content as viewership dwindles on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, the New York Times is reporting. Fallon, who has lost 21 percent of his audience since last year, has struggled against Stephen Colbert’s anti-Republican bits since February of this year. Now, Jimmy Kimmel is nipping at the comedian’s heels with his personal, emotional and liberal takes on health care and gun violence.
“Mr. Fallon has mostly stuck with his fun-and-games persona,” the Times’ John Koblin writes. “While Mr. Colbert follows his monologues with earnest interviews, Mr. Fallon engages guests with game-show-like segments.”
Koblin notes that, while Fallon does do an impression of the president, it “lacks bite.” NBC executives are reportedly hopeful that Fallon and his “sunny persona” can at least keep hold of the coveted 18-49 demographic. But Colbert is quickly closing that gap too, and if the numbers continue the way they have been, the Tonight Show may need to be redefined.
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