• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 6 hours ago

Could Jimmy Fallon one day emerge as the King of Late Night?

Once upon a time, there was only one man who could wear that mantle -- Johnny Carson. He ruled late-night TV as the host of “The Tonight Show” on NBC from 1962 to 1992.

Lesser competitors came and went, but Carson was so dominant that it simply seemed as if NBC had the time period to itself.

Now, with Colbert gone and CBS withdrawing from traditional late night, it could come to pass that NBC will eventually have the late-night arena all to itself once again as in days of old.

But one man still stands in the way: Jimmy Kimmel, 58, whose current contract expires in spring 2027. 

It’s a two-year contract that he signed in 2025. At the time, it was rumored that Kimmel would not extend his contract again. 

According to trade press reports, he was expected by many to finally close down “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after 22 years.

Nobody knows what he will do this time around. Nevertheless, it is widely rumored that he will not extend his contract in advance of its expiration next May.

If that happens, the Kimmel show will be gone. Since 2003, it has been ABC’s only entertainment late-night show. 

Then the question will be: Will Disney pull the plug on traditional late night on ABC, just as Paramount Skydance has done at CBS? The TV Blog predicts: Yes.

Then, it will be back to late-night TV, circa 1992, before CBS and Letterman launched “The Late Show” in August 1993, and NBC ruled the late-night roost with its new “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who started on May 25, 1992.

Now, if Kimmel leaves, NBC will still have the same two-hour presence in late night it has had since the launch of “Late Night with David Letterman” in 1982.

“The Tonight Show,” of course, goes back even farther -- 72 years, to 1954. Fallon, who is 51, is only its sixth host (the others, in order, were Steven Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, briefly Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno).

The late-night tradition is in NBC’s DNA for six days a week. “Saturday Night Live” has had its time period virtually to itself for 51 years.

Lorne Michaels, who is 81, is in charge of both shows. He may be the most successful producer in the history of NBC,

If and when the Fallon show emerges as the only late-night entertainment show on any network at 11:35 p.m. weeknights, it will be hard to imagine -- based on NBC’s history in the time period -- that NBCUniversal would close up shop in late-night in the manner of its network competitors.

Having said all that, Fallon and “The Tonight Show” face challenges. According to average-audience Nielsen Live+7 data for Q1 2026, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” lags behind the other two.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” at the time of its demise averaged 2.7 million viewers per episode; “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had 2.53 million; and “Fallon,” 1.33 million. 

If Fallon is all alone in late-night, he could draw viewership from both of their audiences. 

On the plus side, with the exits of Colbert and Kimmel, it is becoming increasingly clear that the era of partisan political rants in late night is dead or dying. 

Unlike the other two, Fallon has never relied solely on anti-Trump comedy. With his competitors gone, perhaps Fallon can capitalize on that.

And what of the title of “King of Late-Night?” The press referred to Carson that way because of his dominance in the ratings and also because of the classy way he conducted himself on the show for 30 years. 

Some in the press used to refer to Jay Leno as the King of Late Night based mainly on ratings. His “Tonight Show” led its competitors for nearly the entire time Leno hosted the show.

But he always pushed back at the “King” title in his belief that Carson was the undisputed King of Late Night and still is (he died in 2005).

And Fallon? He might never be a King, but he might be the last man standing.