US EditionDonald Trump Gets Lowest Kennedy Center Honors Ratings Ever: Report
CBS broadcast of the Trump-hosted 2025 Kennedy Center Honors drew about 2.65 million viewers, a 35% drop from last year amid controversy over the center's renaming.
- On December 23, President Donald Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS, and preliminary Nielsen data show the telecast averaged 2.65 million viewers.
- Before broadcast, President Donald Trump predicted it would be the highest-rated show and promoted the event on Truth Social, soliciting hosting feedback via social media posts.
- Media analysts reported the key advertising demo at roughly 0.14, about HALF of 2024's level, and even a 25% lift would keep final viewership below last year's 5.2 million.
- Last week the center's board added Mr. Trump's name to the building and website, prompting Chuck Redd, musician, Kristy Lee, musician, and other artists to cancel performances in protest.
- Critics point out that producer Robert Deaton staged the telecast like the Country Music Awards, while Trump's pre-taped Oval Office segments in street clothes were trimmed from 12 minutes to two by CBS, shaping negative coverage.
115 Articles
115 Articles
Trump-hosted Kennedy Center awards gala ratings plummet
Donald Trump joked about quitting as U.S. president if his hosting of the annual Kennedy Center awards went well. But viewership ratings for this year's annual ceremony plummeted to a record low amid controversy over his takeover of the premier Washington arts complex, to which Trump's name was added this…
CBS snubs Trump’s name as Kennedy Center Honors ratings crash
CBS quietly rebuffed President Donald Trump’s push to rebrand the Kennedy Center during a broadcast that delivered dismal ratings. According to The Washington Post, viewership for this year’s Trump-hosted Kennedy Center Honors plunged roughly 25 percent from last year, even as Trump predicted record numbers and bragged about his hosting “talent.” The network declined to use Trump’s preferred name for the venue, instructing staff to omit it unles…
All About Ratings? This Year’s Kennedy Center Honors Ratings Tank
The show averaged 3.01 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s report, CBS publicist Julie Holland shared in an email Tuesday — down about 25 percent from the previous year. The Kennedy Center did not respond to a request for comment on the ratings. – Washington Post
Trump’s Hosting of Kennedy Center Honors Tanks
While Donald Trump has long treated ratings as a personal scorecard, his turn as host of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors delivered a result he has conspicuously avoided addressing: the lowest viewership in the history of the broadcast. While its clear that the often-addled Trump should not keep his day job, he certainly shouldn’t consider hosting awards programs as an avocation! CBS 19 News noted that Programming Insider reported that prelimin…
The number of spectators at Kennedy Center Honors has dropped dramatically. Trump's decisions create displeasure. Artists and audiences react.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 39% of the sources are Center
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