Defiant America 1776 logo

Colbert Finale Draws 6.74 Million Viewers — Left Calls It “Most-Watched Weeknight Ever”… But Here’s How It Stacks Up Against Other Late-Night Finales

Date:  May 23, 2026

The left is trying hard to spin Stephen Colbert’s final episode as some kind of massive cultural victory.

They’re calling it the “most-watched weeknight ever” for the show, with 6.74 million viewers tuning in. Rolling Stone, Variety, and the usual suspects are all pumping up the numbers like it’s a huge milestone.

But the truth is a bit more sobering when you look at the bigger picture.

The Late Show has been losing money for years. Reports say it was costing the network tens of millions of dollars annually, with a huge staff and Colbert pulling in around $15 million a year. When you spend that much time alienating roughly half the country with nonstop political lectures disguised as comedy, the audience eventually walks away.

Even Colbert’s highest-rated weekday show this year had zero mentions of Trump. None. The one night he laid off the anti-Trump rants, more people actually showed up.

Maybe that should have been a clue years ago.

For context on how far late-night has fallen, David Letterman’s finale drew 13.8 million viewers. Jay Leno’s final Tonight Show pulled in about 14.6 million. And Johnny Carson’s farewell? A staggering 55 million people watched.

Colbert’s send-off barely cracked 7 million. That’s not exactly going out with a bang.

And the one Donald Trump posted on X already has 53 millions:

The irony is thick. Colbert built much of his brand on Trump-bashing bits and crude jokes that aged poorly. Now that he’s off the air, the left is pretending this was a triumph while ignoring how far the numbers have dropped from the legends who came before him.

Late-night television used to be appointment viewing for millions across the political spectrum. Now it’s mostly a niche echo chamber for one side, and the ratings prove it. Colbert’s finale is just the latest data point in a long decline.

The American people voted for Trump in a landslide because they’re tired of the nonstop propaganda coming from Hollywood and the media. Colbert’s show became a prime example of that — preachy, partisan, and increasingly unwatchable for anyone not already in the bubble.

The left can celebrate 6.74 million all they want. The rest of us will remember when late-night hosts actually tried to entertain everyone instead of lecturing half the audience.

—

Whatfinger News is a premier conservative news aggregator, serving as an alternative to sites like Drudge Report. It provides a comprehensive collection of links to the latest headlines, videos, and stories from various sources, keeping readers up-to-date on current events with a focus on alternative and right-leaning perspectives.

Sign up for Defiant America Newsletter and get one email every day with no spam, ever. (Click here)
Kellyanne Richardson

Kellyanne Richardson

Kellyanne Richardson is an American conservative political commentator and author who frequently courted controversy with brash statements about her ideological opponents, often Democrats and liberals.

All author posts