No Meghan McCain Ratings Bump For Stephen Colbert, But Huge Online Spike

As an avid fan of both Meghan McCain and Stephen Colbert (despite our rocky history), I tuned in to last night's Meg-augmented episode of the Colbert Report with bells on.

Meghan looked great, and even managed to throw Stephen Colbert momentarily out of character, a first as far as I know, with her declaration that she is a pro-sex woman. I also have to give Meg props for resisting the enticing temptation to lick Colbert's face.

This got me thinking, Colbert is famous for taking credit when politicians receive a bump from going on his show. So I wondered if Colbert would get a similar bump from having the fabulous Meghan on his show.

I contacted Nielsen Media Research and this is what they told me:

Tommy, last night's airing of Colbert Report averaged 1.1 million viewers (people 2 yrs or older), which is on par with the program's average over the last 4 weeks.

These are, of course, only the preliminary overnight ratings, and I would expect that a show with the bi-partisan appeal of the Colbert Report would have a built-in audience for Meghan McCain.

I also wondered if Meghan's status as Duchess of Twitter might have an impact, but with around 36,000 followers it was probably too small a variance to measure in overnight ratings. Although he may not have seen the ratings bump, I'm sure he got some much-needed street cred with the progressive Republican street crowd.

The good news is that Meghan's clip is oing gangbusters online, with over 48,000 views on The Colbert report's website, making it the 3rd most watched clip this month after only a few hours. With someone as young and cutting-edge as Meghan McCain, it's no surprise that the bump occurred online.

Here's Meg's interview again, in case you missed it:

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Meghan McCain
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage

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