Stephen Colbert’s final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs Thursday and draws 6.74 million viewers, according to early reporting cited by multiple outlets. Rolling Stone, Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Adweek all describe the finale as the show’s most-watched weeknight episode of its run. The figure is reported as 6.74 million viewers for “live + same-day” audiences, based on preliminary Nielsen data and/or statements from CBS, described by outlets as panel-only or early results. Variety notes the finale’s performance compared with the show’s 2026 Q1 average, which it cites as 2.69 million viewers, framing the finale as a significant uptick. Deadline and other outlets also characterize the finale as surpassing audience levels associated with Colbert’s early tenure on the program, including his first episode as host. Taken together, the coverage consistently attributes the finale’s record-setting performance to the same viewer total and the same designation: the most-watched weeknight episode in the show’s history, reported in the immediate aftermath of the broadcast.
Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Finale Draws 6.74 Million Viewers, Most-Watched Weeknight Ever
Stephen Colbert’s final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” airs Thursday and draws 6.74 million viewers, according to early reporting cited by multiple outlets. Rolling Stone, Deadline, V...
- Stephen Colbert’s final episode of “The Late Show” draws 6.74 million viewers.
- The reported figure is described as “live + same-day” audience totals based on early/preliminary Nielsen data.
- Multiple outlets report the finale is the most-watched weeknight episode in the show’s history.
- CBS is cited as reporting the record, and outlets note it exceeds the show’s earlier performance, including Colbert’s initial tenure as host.
- The finale airs on Thursday night, with results widely reported shortly after the broadcast.
It marks the show's most-watched weeknight episode of all time
3 months agoThe last-ever episode averages 6.74 million viewers.
3 months agoThe series finale of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” pulled off the series’ most-watched weeknight episode of all time, according to early data from CBS. The Eye network reports that the finale of “The Late Show” posted 6.74 million viewers on Thursday night. That’s up from the show’s 2026 Q1 average of 2.69 million […]
3 months agoStephen Colbert closed out The Late Show on Thursday night to the tune of 6.74M live + same-day viewers, per preliminary panel only data from Nielsen. That makes it the series most-watched weeknight episode ever, CBS says, even higher than Colbert’s very first episode as host. He signed on for duty on September 8, 2015 […]
3 months agoThe Late Show averaged 6.7 million viewers, as Colbert took his final bow.
3 months ago
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