It’s good to have The Donald — at least temporarily.
Polarizing GOP candidate Donald Trump’s guest appearance on Stephen Colbert‘s “Late Show” handed the CBS talker the No. 1 slot on Tuesday and its best rating since its Sept. 8 debut, according to very preliminary Nielsen numbers.
It also goosed “The Late Show’s” numbers by 61 percent from last Tuesday and by 42 percent versus the same night last year when David Letterman hosted.
Last night’s “Late Show” averaged a 3.7 rating/10 share in the 56 overnight metered markets. The series debut earlier this month hauled in a 4.9/18.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon‘s “Tonight Show” — the reigning late-night king — received a 2.8/7 on Tuesday evening; “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had a 2.1/6.
The strong lead-in was quite beneficial for James Corden and “The Late Late Show,” which rose 27 percent from last Tuesday and 17 percent versus the prior year. Corden’s 1.4/5 tied Seth Meyers‘ “Late Night” over on NBC.
According to Nielsen’s local people meters — another very early and thus non-final metric — Colbert and Fallon tied among viewers aged 18-49.