Hapless host Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show is losing the ratings war to FOX News rival Greg Gutfeld — and the TV flop’s sinking number has left NBC brass with buyer’s remorse, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Nearly 19 months after the Peacock Network handed Fallon a whopping $80 million five-year contract extension, The Tonight Show is drawing under 1.3 million eyeballs — less than half the audience of upstart Gutfeld!
But that number is even more shocking when compared to Fallon’s celebrated debut! The Saturday Night Live alum, 48, chalked up an impressive 11 million viewers when he first took over for outgoing legend Jay Leno — but now he’s also being bested in the ratings by Stephen Colbert’s CBS Late Show!
A source said NBC regrets the funnyman’s pricey long-term deal and added, “The network knows the days are gone when tens of millions of people would tune in for The Tonight Show — but they were counting on Jimmy to do better than this!”
(via Off the Press)
[That’s an awful lot of money for an awful lot of ‘clapter’. — Ed]
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