Are Jon Stewart's Ratings Better Than Leno's?

'Tonight Show' vs. 'Daily Show' may be the latest battle in the late-night wars, as a surprise ratings report has NBC and Comedy Central clashing over who's on top. Is Jon Stewart, as the numbers suggest, now more popular than Jay Leno?

For the first time, Stewart's 'The Daily Show' has bested Leno's 'Tonight Show' in a key segment of viewers. However, NBC execs, ever stubborn when it comes to defending Leno, aren't taking the news lying down.

According to EW.com, while Leno's 'Tonight Show' viewership still tops the ratings in overall viewers, as it has for years, Comedy Central is celebrating the fact that during the most recent quarter, Stewart drew a few thousand more people than Leno in the crucial "Adults 18-49" demographic.

But NBC spokesman Tom Bierbaum is calling foul, and says only new episodes were counted, strategically omitting the ratings on rerun episodes; by NBC's calculations, 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' wins the category when every episode (new and rerun) is measured.

Still, nobody can argue that a snarky, low-budget cable series is undoubtedly giving the most iconic late-night show in history a run for its money. Leno may consider his viewers loyal -- remember, there were plenty who cheered his return to late-night, while Team Coco mourned -- but Stewart's substantial fan base is clearly a force to be reckoned with.

The two hosts have made no comment on the latest ratings. But Stewart must be greeting the news with satisfaction. After all, he doesn't seem to be what you'd call Leno fan, at least based on this 2010 'Daily Show' segment about a controversial 'Tonight Show' episode: