NEW YORK – As turkeys brown and families bicker over stuffing recipes, America’s late-night comedy kings are carving up wildly different plans for Thanksgiving Week 2025 – and not everyone’s eager to serve up fresh laughs amid the holiday haze. While some heavy-hitters like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are slamming the studio doors shut for a full feast-induced fadeout, die-hards Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon are cranking out new episodes, complete with family cameos and pre-taped celeb feasts that promise to keep couch potatoes chuckling through the cranberry sauce. The Daily Show? It’s ghosting entirely, opting for cartoon reruns over real-world roasts. With Congress on turkey trot and political fodder scarce, execs are betting big on nostalgia and light-hearted hijinks – but insiders whisper the real spice is a brewing ratings war, where streaming slumps force a desperate dash for live laughs. “Holiday viewers want comfort food, not controversy,” one NBC suit spilled to Variety. “But with fall ratings tanking 15%, someone’s gotta stuff the schedule – or starve.”

The lineup, finalized amid whispers of budget belt-tightening and post-election burnout, kicks off Monday, November 24, and stretches through a sleepy Black Friday haze. CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” is hitting the eject button hard: No new episodes all week, just a parade of reruns dishing up monologue zingers and A-list chats from the vault. Colbert, the bow-tied bard of Beltway barbs, is reportedly holing up in South Carolina with wife Evie and their three kids for a “much-needed unplug,” sources tell Page Six. “Steve’s been grinding non-stop since the election cycle – this break’s his turkey pardon,” a production insider quipped. The show returns fresh-faced on December 1, but for now, it’s lights out at 11:35 p.m. ET, leaving Colbert’s 2.8 million nightly faithful to microwave leftovers from October’s Trump takedowns.

Over at Comedy Central, “The Daily Show” is pulling a full Houdini: Zero new content, swapped for a binge-friendly block of “Family Guy” and “South Park” reruns that skewer everything from pilgrim myths to pie fights. Host Jon Stewart, back in the anchor chair since his 2024 comeback, is jetting off to his upstate New York farm with family, dodging the post-Thanksgiving tryptophan trap. “No news is good news this week – Congress is stuffed and silent,” a network rep shrugged to Deadline. The satirical staple, averaging 1.1 million viewers amid a 2025 dip, resurfaces December 1 with fresh fire – but for now, it’s Peter Griffin over political grilling, a move that’s sparked X backlash: “Daily Show on hiatus? More like hiding from holiday hot takes,” griped one viral tweet, racking 12K likes.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel is playing it coy with a hybrid hustle: New episodes Monday and Tuesday, packed with pre-taped sketches skewering Black Friday madness, then dark through the weekend. Kimmel, the Oscar-hosting vet whose show pulls 1.6 million nightly, is bundling up in Brooklyn with wife Molly McNearney and their two kids for a low-key feast, per TMZ. “Jimmy’s all about family first – but he’s slipping in those early-week zingers to keep the momentum,” a source close to the show dished. Expect cameos from holiday holdovers like Matthew McConaughey riffing on “Alright, alright, pass the yams.” The rest of the week? Reruns rule, giving Kimmel a breather from the 20% ratings slide that’s plagued late-night since the writers’ strike hangover.

But the real feast frenzy unfolds on NBC, where “Late Night with Seth Meyers” is the lone warrior airing fresh episodes all week – yes, even Thanksgiving night at 12:35 a.m. ET. Meyers, the “SNL” alum turned family man, is turning his Midtown studio into a homey holiday hub, dragging brother Josh, parents Hilary and Larry into the fray for the 12th straight year since 2014. “Seth’s Thanksgiving is basically a live podcast with bad puns and worse sweaters,” laughed a segment producer to Entertainment Weekly. The November 27 special promises “A Meyers Family Feast,” complete with turkey-carving fails and pie-in-the-face pranks, banking on the post-dinner demo’s sleepy scroll for 1.4 million viewers. “It’s tradition – and ratings gold,” the insider added. “Seth knows: Families fight over politics at the table; they laugh at us on the couch.”

Fellow NBC staple “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” is no slouch either, dipping dark Monday (recycling a Sunday repeat) but roaring back with new hours Tuesday through Thursday, including a Thanksgiving eve blowout at 11:35 p.m. Fallon, the perpetual boy wonder whose show averages 2.1 million, is pre-taping a star-studded spread with Ed Sheeran crooning carols, “Stranger Things” heartthrob Joe Keery dishing dystopian dinner disasters, and country crooner Brad Paisley plucking turkey-themed twang. “Jimmy’s leveraging the NFL lead-in – nothing says ‘holiday cheer’ like post-football funnies,” a network exec told The Hollywood Reporter. Taped in advance to dodge feast faux pas, the episodes aim to snag casual drop-ins amid the 18% viewership bump late-night sees during holidays. Friday? Reruns reign, as Fallon ferries his fam to the Hamptons for sand-and-sleigh vibes.

Not to be outdone, NBC’s Wednesday night slots a two-hour “Saturday Night Live” special, “A Saturday Night Thanksgiving,” a turkey-stuffed time capsule of sketches from the show’s 50-year vault. Expect pilgrim parodies with Will Ferrell’s turkey terror, Amy Poehler’s feminist feast flop, and Kate McKinnon’s chaotic cornucopia – all capped with musical morsels from past holiday hosts like Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake. “It’s comfort viewing for the masses – 5 million expected,” beamed Lorne Michaels in a rare pre-tape tease to Variety. Airing at 9 p.m. ET, it’s a ratings reindeer game, filling the void left by preempted sports and soaps.

Behind the tinsel and turkey, the decisions drip with drama. Late-night’s 2025 slump – down 22% overall per Nielsen, hammered by cord-cutting and TikTok titans – has networks sweating seasonal spikes. “Thanksgiving’s our Super Bowl – families glued to screens post-pie,” a ViacomCBS strategist confessed to Ad Age. Colbert’s blackout? “Strategic rest – no Trump tweets means no must-see monologues,” insiders murmur. Daily Show’s dodge? “Satire starves without scandals.” But NBC’s all-in bet screams survival: Meyers and Fallon’s holiday holds have historically juiced numbers 25%, per BARB data, turning turkey time into triumph. Kimmel’s split? A sly hedge, blending buzz with burnout balm.

Fan frenzy? A feast of fury and fomo. #LateNightThanksgiving trended with 2.4 million X posts by Tuesday, split between “Seth’s family feels = peak cozy” cheers (45K likes on a Meyers clip tease) and “Colbert bailing? Lame – give us the roast!” rants. Petitions for “Daily Show specials” hit 18K signatures on Change.org, while Fallon’s guest lineup sparked squeals: “Ed Sheeran + turkey? Yes please!” from Swifties. Celeb chatter crackles: Colbert’s wife Evie posted a cryptic “Grateful for the quiet” Insta, while Kimmel joked on his pod: “I’m off-air so I can finally eat without interruptions – pass the politics-free pie.” Meyers, ever the everyman, tweeted: “Family on TV? It’s chaos – but the best kind. Tune in, or don’t – we’ll miss you at the table anyway.”

Broader bites? Late-night’s holiday pivot spotlights streaming’s squeeze: Paramount+ and Peacock are bundling specials for on-demand gobbling, with Colbert’s reruns dropping day-and-date. But whispers of woe linger: WGA remnants eye a 2026 strike sequel, and AI script scribes loom as cost-cutters. “Breaks aren’t just breaks – they’re bets on what’s next,” a WME agent spilled to Deadline. As Black Friday bargains beckon, late-night’s feast feels fragile: Will Meyers’ family fiasco flop or fly? Fallon’s star-studded spread satisfy or stale? One thing’s certain – in a year of election indigestion, these schedules are the ultimate side dish: Some savory, some skipped, all served with a side of suspense.

Yet the oven’s still hot: Colbert’s “unplugged” might mask a memoir push; Daily Show’s cartoons a sly nod to Jon’s “America” comic roots. Kimmel’s mid-week magic? Preempting a potential Trump tweetstorm. NBC’s SNL special? A stealth audition for holiday hosting gigs. X sleuths decode: “Meyers’ parents = ratings bait?” threads rack 30K views. As families flock to feasts, late-night’s lineup lures the leftovers – proving TV’s true tradition: When the table clears, the laughs begin. Gobble up, America – or risk the regret.