RETURN OF THE KING

‘The Daily Show’ Just Hit Its Highest Ratings in a Decade

Jon Stewart’s hotly anticipated comeback has been a hit with viewers.

The Daily Show has recorded its highest quarterly ratings in a decade, as Jon Stewart’s much-anticipated comeback proves to be a hit with audiences. Nielsen data reveals that from April to June 2025, The Daily Show scored its highest share of viewers aged 18-49 since Stewart’s emotional farewell in 2015, when Bruce Springsteen serenaded the late-night host on his final episode. The recent surge is particularly noticeable, as the current quarter has seen the show outperform even the heightened drama of the 2024 election season and Donald Trump’s inauguration, with viewership amongst key demographics jumping 44 percent compared to last year and average viewership climbing 15 percent to 393,000—the show’s best quarterly numbers for four years. Stewart’s Monday night hosting slot remains the show’s crown jewel, with episodes on his designated night seeing a 43 percent share increase and a 21 percent boost in Paramount+ streams from a year ago. Comedy Central also claims the show is the “most viewed late-night talk show across social” with over 1.7 billion views over the past three months, although it did not provide any data or statistics from other late-night shows as a comparison.