CBS comedy program "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" will win the 2016-17 television season in total viewers, scoring a rare late-night win for the network over rival NBC.
Colbert's "Late Show" focuses on politically charged humor that almost exclusively targets the Trump administration. It marks the first time "The Late Show" has defeated NBC's "The Tonight Show" since the 1994-95 season, excluding the volatile 2009-10 season when Conan O'Brien briefly replaced Jay Leno, Deadline reports.
Trump recently called Colbert "a no-talent guy… There's nothing funny about what he says. And what he says is filthy," adding, "It only helps me, people like him."
Upfront Week–Late Show's final full week of the TV season, Colbert clocked his 16th consecutive total-viewer win over Jimmy Fallon's NBC show, sweeping every night in viewers for the first time.
Fallon takes the TV season in all key demo categories for the season, which officially ends Wednesday.
Colbert recently stirred controversy when he referred to Donald Trump's mouth as Vladimir Putin's "c**k holster." The FCC did not punish him for the remark.
Colbert's ratings triumph marks another victory for shows and networks that have focused on opposing Trump. Last week, left-leaning MSNBC earned its first-ever weekly ratings win over cable rivals Fox News and CNN.
Colbert came to CBS after a nine-year stint on Comedy Central's satirical "Colbert Report," where his character lampooned right-wing punditry. That show in turn sprang out of his run as a "Daily Show" correspondent.
He took over "The Late Show" in 2015 after David Letterman retired.