By Nielsen’s reported 2025–26 season audience, Jimmy Kimmel had the larger U.S. TV audience: Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 2.52 million viewers per first-run telecast, compared with 1.39 million for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. But opinion polls do not name a consistent winner: one gave Fallon a slight lead when asking who was “best,” while another gave Kimmel a slight lead when asking about favorite hosts.
What “more popular” means depends on the measure
Popularity can mean how many people recognize a host, how many say they like or prefer him, or how many watch his show. Those measures answer different questions. The results below are U.S.-focused; they do not establish a worldwide ranking or a complete cross-platform comparison.
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YouGov’s host trackers distinguish fame, measured through awareness, from popularity, measured through like-or-dislike responses. The two head-to-head polls below instead asked people to identify a best comedian or choose favorite hosts. Neither survey is a direct measure of total viewers.
What the polls say about favorites
| Poll and question | Fallon | Kimmel | What to make of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Economist/YouGov, May 15–18, 2026; 1,549 U.S. adult citizens. “Who do you think is the best late-night comedian on TV?” | 13% | 11% | Fallon led by two percentage points. “None of the above” received 38%. The Economist/YouGov poll. |
| Yahoo/YouGov, September 25–29, 2025; 1,676 U.S. adults. “Which of the following are your favorite late-night talk show hosts? Choose up to three.” | 20% | 22% | Kimmel led by two points. “None of the above” received 49%. Because respondents could select up to three hosts, this was not a single-choice vote. Yahoo/YouGov survey results. |
Neither narrow lead means that a majority of respondents chose that host. The polls also differ in date, wording, sampled population, and response format, so their results should not be combined into a trend. “Best” is not the same as “favorite,” and neither question asks how many people watched each program.
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Poll results vary among groups
In the May 2026 Economist/YouGov poll, Fallon was selected by 21% of respondents aged 18–29, compared with 7% for Kimmel. Among Black respondents, Kimmel received 27% and Fallon 20%. These are descriptive subgroup results, not definitive rankings: subgroup bases are smaller than the full sample. The poll’s subgroup figures.
Which show had more viewers?
For the 2025–26 season, Jimmy Kimmel Live! averaged 2.52 million total viewers per first-run telecast, while The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon averaged 1.39 million. These figures are Nielsen Big Data + Panel Live+7 estimates for the period September 22, 2025, through September 20, 2026, as reported by LateNighter. Kimmel’s reported average was higher on this measure.
For adults aged 18–49, the same report lists 284,000 viewers for Kimmel. A corresponding Fallon figure is not stated in the cited season summary, so that number does not support a like-for-like comparison of the two shows in that age group.
Why monthly ratings can move
A season average is more useful than a single unusual night for comparing sustained TV audiences, but it is still shaped by scheduling and events. LateNighter notes that June’s Kimmel figure was affected by the NBA Finals airing on ABC and Stephen Colbert’s departure, while summer guest hosting changed July’s average. Those monthly movements are not evidence of a lasting change in either host’s personal popularity.
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The Nielsen figures describe measured TV viewing, not every way people may watch or engage with late-night clips. The Associated Press reported in September 2025 that audience options and economic pressures were changing late-night television, but its report does not supply a direct cross-platform head-to-head audience measure for Fallon and Kimmel. Associated Press coverage.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do viewers want hosts to discuss politics?
A September 2025 YouGov survey offers context about the role audiences expect late-night hosts to play, rather than a direct comparison of Fallon and Kimmel. Among U.S. adult citizens surveyed September 18–21, 2025 (1,083 respondents), 40% said hosts should speak out when they feel strongly about something political; 29% said they should keep their political views to themselves; and 25% said they did not watch enough late-night television to have an opinion. YouGov’s poll results.
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Verdict: Kimmel leads in reported TV audience; polls split
If “more popular” means the larger average U.S. TV audience in the reported 2025–26 season, Kimmel leads. If it means stated public preference, there is no single winner in the available polls: Fallon edged Kimmel in the May 2026 “best” question, while Kimmel edged Fallon in the September 2025 favorite-host survey. The answer depends on which kind of popularity you mean.
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