“The Daily Show” closed out its third quarter with its highest-rated quarter in four years and its best average share in 10 years.
Comedy Central’s late-night show averaged a 0.45 rating in the 18-49 demo – its highest since the first quarter of 2021 – and a 3.22 share – its highest since the third quarter of 2015, according to Nielsen big data plus panel viewing data for the third quarter of 2025.
In addition to these milestones, “The Daily Show” saw gains in both categories, with its rating up 25% from last year’s 0.36 rating, and its share up 42% from last year’s 2.26 share. Comedy Central did not provide average total viewers for the quarter.
Additionally, “The Daily Show” ranked as the No. 1 cable series on Monday nights, when Jon Stewart hosts, both among adults 18-49, as well as in the younger demo among adults 18-34.
In addition to the ratings milestones, “The Daily Show” also recorded its best third-quarter social performance in franchise history. On social media, “The Daily Show” recorded 1.7 billion views, an increase of 26% from last year, and a total of 3.2 billion minutes consumed, an increase of 20% from last year.
The quarter marked a turbulent period in late night, with fallout from Stephen Colbert’s cancellation mixing with Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from ABC and broadcast partners Nexstar and Sinclair.
“The Daily Show” saw a similar milestone for the first quarter of 2025 when it scored its largest quarterly share in 10 years, which TheWrap exclusively revealed. The show earned a 3.94 share in the first quarter of 2025, up 13% from a 3.48 share in the first quarter of 2024, and the best quarterly performance for “The Daily Show” since its return in the first quarter of 2024.
Likewise, the share increased by 48% to 5.76 in the first quarter of 2025 from 3.8 in the fourth quarter of 2024.
