Because politics.
Ever since Jimmy Fallon took over NBC’s The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2014, he’s been the nearly untouched king of late night (at least in terms of Nielsen ratings). CBS tried to counter by bringing in Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman at The Late Show. But aside from Colbert’s opening week, the “competition” hasn’t been what you’d call close.
That changed this week, with Nielsen reporting that Colbert finished tops—including over Fallon—in total viewers for last week. The numbers were still tight, but it represents the first time Colbert has beat out Fallon since September 2015.
Why?
Much like Saturday Night Live‘s newfound success, Nielsen ratings suggest shows focusing on political humor have seen a huge jump since the election in November and presidential administration change last month.