'Kimmel' Premiere Tops 'Letterman' in Ratings, Falls Short of 'Leno'

Last night, in its premiere at the 11:35 p.m. time slot, Jimmy Kimmel Live! topped The Late Show With David Letterman in the ratings but failed to overtake The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, the Wall Street Journal reports.

An average 3.1 million people watched Kimmel at his new time slot on Tuesday night, according to Nielsen figures. Letterman nabbed 2.88 million, while Leno attracted 3.27 million. (Kimmel's show previously started at midnight.)

A History of Comedy Stars on the Cover of Rolling Stone

ABC announced Kimmel's new airtime back in August, citing the rise of his ratings as the late night titans Letterman and Leno watched theirs decline. The network also trumpeted Kimmel's strong presence on social networks.

Be sure to check out our cover story on Kimmel in which the comedian readies for battle at the coveted 11:35 time slot.