Jimmy Fallon’s previously “enormous” lead in the late-night ratings race is no more, at least not recently. The New York Times reports that he’s been beaten in the ratings for the first time — and “virtually” tied several others times — by Stephen Colbert, who has found his niche mocking Trump in recent weeks.
Mr. Colbert’s recent surge is intriguing, in light of the Trump presidency and given the host’s association with biting political commentary from his days on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report.” For the week of Jan. 16, the week before the inauguration, Mr. Colbert came within 8,000 viewers of tying Mr. Fallon, the closest he had come to his NBC competitor since the week he came on the air … Mr. Colbert’s show has taken on a political charge in recent months, and it has only accelerated since Mr. Trump won the election. He has been openly critical of Mr. Trump, and last week Jon Stewart, Mr. Colbert’s old late-night partner on Comedy Central, appeared in a scathing segment.
Speaking of scathing, take a look at Colbert’s treatment of the Trump administration’s error and typo-laden list of “underreported” terrorist attacks last night, including a dig at Steve Bannon, who he notes is at least not a grammar Nazi.
It’s certainly a far cry from Fallon’s hair-fluffing.