It’s called the “Trump bump” and it seems to be universal:
Donald Trump has been very good for the journalism field he mocks … and for the satirists he hates,
A new example of the latter has just arrived: CBS has extended Stephen Colbert’s contract for three more years, through August of 2023.
Other examples abound. On the serious side, CNN and MSNBC are thriving. And remember how Trump used to discuss “the failing New York Times”? The current issue of Time magazine has a richly detailed story of how the Times has been soaring lately, in print and online.
And on the humor side? “Saturday Night Live” — which now opens vittually every episode with a Trump satire – has been on the upswing. “The Daily Show” and Samantha Bean have thrived.
And then there’s latenight. At first, NBC’s Jimmy Fallon – with his good-natured, feel-good approach – led. Then Colbert, with Trump-centric monologs, took over.
According to Nielsen figures provided by CBS, Colbert topped Fallon two seasons ago by 38 per cent in total viewers. That was a lead of 1.2 million per night; it went 1.38 million last season and has been at 1.7 million for the first three politics-stuffed weeks of his season.
Last year, Colbert even eked out a tiny win in ages 18-49, never a CBS srong point. Maybe he could send Donald Trump a nice thank-you card.