The new book “Love Johnny Carson” is more than a mash note to a Hollywood legend.

Author Mark Malkoff breaks down why “The Tonight Show” host set the gold standard for the industry.

• Innovation
• Humor
• Show business legends on parade
• Self-deprecation
• Zero lectures

The latter is the opposite of what we see across today’s late-night TV landscape. It’s one of many reasons the format is dying. Even Jimmy Kimmel, a veteran of the late-night wars, admits the business model no longer works and late-night programs are on borrowed time.

Enter the left-leaning LateNighter.com. The site just shared the final ratings results for the last 12 months. The numbers are both instructive and devastating to the industry.

Let’s start with the unofficial king of late-night TV. Yes, Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” airs earlier than his peers, but it continues to crush the competition.

And that lead is growing.

Greg Gutfeld’s program, which features a crush of comedians, talking heads and pundits, boosted its ratings lead by an impressive 21 percent from 2024.

No A-listers, no problem. The show’s reliance on rebel comedians like Dave Landau, Jamie Lissow and Jeff Dye fuels the show’s laugh quotient.

And while the early start time gives “Gutfeld!” a distinct advantage, the show airs on a cable channel, which reduces the number of potential viewers by a sizable margin.

Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers all spread their liberal views via free broadcast airwaves.

Speaking of Kimmel, he enjoyed a bounce-back year in 2025. Of sorts.

RELATED: WHY WON’T CANCEL CULTURE TARGET JIMMY KIMMEL?

The teary-eyed “Man Show” alum watched his show nearly bite the dust, and he had only himself to blame. Kimmel suggested that a MAGA supporter, not progressive activist Tyler Robinson, pulled the trigger that killed Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10.

That sent Kimmel to the bench after a sizable affiliate revolt. Since his return, his ratings have ticked upwards, partly due to the nonstop publicity as well as leaping past Colbert as late-night TV’s “Resistance” warrior.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” enjoyed a 14 percent uptick in the overall ratings, plus a 4 percent increase in the coveted 18-49 age demographic.

Yet Colbert’s “Late Show,” which goes the way of the pager and 8-track tape come May, continues to lead the pack in traditional broadcast media. It did slip by a very modest 1 percent from last year. The news was more grim on the demo front – “The Late Show” crashed by 19 percent with 18-49-year-olds.

The biggest late-night loser? Fallon’s “The Tonight Show.” The former “Saturday Night Live” star went anti-Trump in late 2016, but his progressive leanings aren’t as rabid as his peers. That means far-Left viewers who need their political fix turn to Kimmel or Colbert, while Center-Right and conservatives avoid him like they do most late-night shows.

That explains why “The Tonight Show,” once the crown jewel of late-night TV, tumbled by 4 percent with a tally that finds the NBC showcase a distant third to Colbert and Kimmel.

Even worse?

Fallon’s showcase dropped 17 percent in the 18-49 demographic. Ouch.

Other highlights from LateNighter.com?

• “The Daily Show” fell by 12 percent but grew 4 percent in the 18-49 demographic
• “Late Night with Seth Meyers” had a rough 2025. The NBC show fell 5 percent in total viewers and 19 percent in the 18-49 demographic.