America's Democrats like Stephen Colbert. Its Republicans favour Jimmy Kimmel. And pretty much everyone likes Jimmy Fallon.
That's a rough translation of a new survey of late-night television viewers. The Hollywood Reporter's survey comes five years after the entertainment magazine first polled viewers about a very different late-night line-up that included David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart.
A whopping 47 per cent of the viewers polled said they would opt for The Tonight Show – which Fallon took over in February of last year – if all of the late-night shows aired at the same time. This includes offerings such as Conan and The Daily Show and those in its later time slots, such as Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Jimmy Kimmel came in a distant second with 20 per cent.
There aren't many earth-shattering revelations in this year's survey, which comes as the jockeying for party nominations in next year's United States election gathers place. The survey shows Fallon's dominance has held strong even after the much-hyped Late Show debut of Stephen Colbert. But it's an interesting look into what each host brings to the table. Let's analyse some of the biggest findings:
Jimmy Fallon
Fallon has a broader appeal in many respects – he was more popular with women than any other host and was the top pick when viewers were asked who they'd want to grab a beer with. Viewers were more likely to associate the words "authentic", "cool dude" and "party animal" with the Saturday Night Live alum than with Kimmel or Colbert.
Fallon recently teamed up with J. Crew to invent a pocket square-iPhone hybrid. He shares meat platters with Nick Offerman, sings with Ariana Grande, dances with Jennifer Lawrence and has a secret handshake with Justin Bieber. One thing possibly working in Fallon's favour is the fact that viewers said they cared less about opening monologues than those polled in 2010. Thirty-eight per cent of viewers said the monologue was their favourite in 2010, compared to just 23 per cent this year.
Interviews with guests, followed by comedic commentary or skits, were rated as the second most favourite. One caveat: Viewers were least likely to associate Fallon with the word opinionated, which brings us to ...
Stephen Colbert
Not a lot of Republicans are watching The Late Show – just 17 per cent of his audience identifies as members of the conservative party. Given his Colbert Report roots, that's not surprising. He has more independents and atheists in his fanbase as well. One noteworthy finding: Colbert has retained more of Stewart's audience (29 per cent) than his successor Trevor Noah (16 per cent).
Colbert has already weighed in heavily on political issues. He recently lambasted Republicans for more than five minutes after the House of Representatives passed legislation calling for more stringent oversight on refugees coming to the US from Syria and Iraq. Last month, he had some choice words about the Republican debate on TV. When it came to "opinionated", Colbert, not surprisingly, took the top spot.
Jimmy Kimmel
The Hollywood Reporter notes that the general late-night TV audience tends to lean towards the Democrats, but Kimmel's viewers are more likely to be Republican or conservative than those who watch his peers.
Plenty of Hillary Clinton fans are watching Jimmy Kimmel Live, but 30 per cent of his viewers reported favouring Donald Trump. Maybe they're just confused. Kimmel's fans are also more likely to be older and watch other shows on the American Broadcasting Company, such as Shark Tank. Seriously.
The Washington Post
■ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert next airs on Monday, November 31, at 11.20pm on Eleven.
Jimmy Kimmel Live is on Tuesday, December 1, at 11pm on Foxtel's Comedy Channel.
The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is on Monday, December 7, at 10:55pm on ABC.
