Chelsea Lately Tops Conan In Ratings

Maisy Fernandez July 1, 2011

What has Chelsea Handler done for you lately?

Lots, if you’re the E! network.

For the first time ever, E!’s Chelsea Lately pulled ahead of Conan (TBS) in the ratings, out-averaging ex-Late Night host Conan O’Brien in June viewership by 959,000 to 851,000.

To be fair, Handler’s star has been on the rise lately, what with a string of best-selling memoirs, hugely successful book tours and development of a TV pilot based on her book, Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.

Being the only woman in a male-dominated late night world might explain why she’s pulling in more female viewers aged 18-34. But she also bested the lanky redhead in the 18-49 category for all adults — a key advertising demographic.

“Conan has been dropping, but overall this is a surprise because it’s crept up on us,” Sam Armando at SMGx, the research arm of ad firm Starcom, told the New York Post. “Adults aged 18-34 are where Conan’s bread is.”

Poor Conan just can’t catch a break. It hasn’t even been a year since his show on TBS premiered after his now-infamous split with NBC, and he’s already losing steam.

Only time will tell if this is a fluke or a pattern. But we’re pretty sure of this: As long as Handler keeps raking in the viewers, E! cannot become an all-Kardashian network. We’ll definitely drink to that!