Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Nabs Strongest Thursday Rating In Three Years Following Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing

CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert landed its best Thursday night rating since the series’ premiere week in 2015 following the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Late Show drew a 3.0 in the metered markets, its best since drawing a 3.3 on September 10, 2015. The last time The Late Show posted higher than 3.0 was James Comey’s appearance on April 17, 2018 (3.1).

Colbert devoted his entire monologue to savaging the hearing in which Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a house party while the two were in high school, and Kavanaugh’s follow-up denials it ever happened.

Colbert called the hearing, the “most divisive day in America since Laurel and Yanni – if Yanni was trying to get on the Supreme Court and Laurel had some really disturbing stories to tell about him.” It was “one of the longest days I can remember…and I’ve been to a Renaissance Fair,” Colbert told viewers that, after Ford got asked questions, Judge Brett Kavanaugh “came out with a well-coiffed head of steam.”

“Word was, Trump was telling people he’s furious the White House didn’t have advance knowledge of how credible she would seem,” Colbert said, snarking Trump-ily, “How come none of you told me it was possible to speak without embarrassing yourself?!”

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, followed Colbert, with each drawing a 1.7/5 metered market rating.