--- description: The show's debut ratings top rivals, including last year's 'Late Show' premiere hosted by David Letterman title: Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' Debut Beats Rivals image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8fd6b078b4f809f3/698862d12dce011ac19e56e1/stephen-colbert-late-show.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Stephen Colbert's _Late Show_ Debut Beats Rivals by [James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 9, 2015 7:46 PM CUT  Stephen Colbert during the premiere episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Sept. 8, 2015. Stephen Colbert during the premiere episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Sept. 8, 2015.Jeffrey R. Staab—CBS via Getty Images by [James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 9, 2015 7:46 PM CUT The numbers are in: Stephen Colbert got off to a very strong start as the new host of CBS’ _The Late Show_. According to Nielsen, Colbert’s debut episode Tuesday evening a whopping 6.6 million viewers. That easily topped NBC’s _Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon_ (2.9 million) and ABC’s _Jimmy Kimmel Live_ (1.7 million). _The Late Show_ was up 203 percent in viewers compared to the same night last year when the show was hosted by David Letterman. Compared to last year’s _Late Show_ premiere (which fell on Sept. 22), Tuesday’s telecast was up 131 percent. The performance marks the largest _Late Show_ Tueday audience among adults 18-49—excluding Letterman’s final week—since July, 1995. Of course, the first episode of a new talk show host taking over an existing franchise _should_ spike. The real test is in the days and weeks to come. CBS’ _The Late Late Show with James Corden_ also received a boost, jumping to 1.9 million to rank third for the evening. For more, here’s [EW review of the premiere](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/08/late-show-stephen-colbert-ew-review "undefined") (we gave Stephen a B+) [and our recap](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/09/late-show-stephen-colbert-premiere-recap "undefined"). Colbert [took on Donald Trump](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/09/stephen-colbert-donald-trump-oreos "undefined"), and [paid tribute to Letterman’s legacy](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/09/stephen-colbert-david-letterman-tribute "undefined") hosting the show. Check out Colbert’s [first _Late Show_ monologue](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/09/stephen-colbert-late-show-monologue "undefined"). The ranking: Stephen Colbert (P)…6.549 million Jimmy Fallon…2.920 million James Corden…1.850 million Jimmy Kimmel…1.745 million Seth Meyers…1.302 million _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/09/colbert-ratings "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4027953/stephen-colbert-late-show-ratings/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4027953/stephen-colbert-late-show-ratings/"},"headline":"Stephen Colbert's Late Show Debut Beats Rivals","datePublished":"2015-09-09T19:46:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T10:48:21.447Z","description":"Including last year's Late Show premiere hosted by David Letterman","url":"https://time.com/4027953/stephen-colbert-late-show-ratings/","keywords":["Television","Ratings","stephen colbert","the late show with stephen colbert"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8fd6b078b4f809f3/698862d12dce011ac19e56e1/stephen-colbert-late-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8fd6b078b4f809f3/698862d12dce011ac19e56e1/stephen-colbert-late-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Stephen Colbert during the premiere episode of \"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert\" on Sept. 8, 2015.","caption":"Stephen Colbert during the premiere episode of \"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert\" on Sept. 8, 2015.","creditText":"Jeffrey R. 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