2025 Kennedy Center honors hit record low viewership with President Ratings at helm

Now, we at The A.V. Club aren’t always interested in viewership data. It’s simply not a good way to judge television, especially as cable and broadcast TV continue to crater and streamers report untrustworthy numbers that don’t always accurately reflect how many people watched. But given how much importance the President places on ratings as a marker of success, we figured it’s worth noting how an awards show does in ratings with the President of the United States at the mic. However, even on a network that bends over backwards for him and his audience, luring them in with such mid-afternoon catnaps as a Town Hall With Erika Kirk and protecting their delicate sensibilities by spiking news reports about American torture camps in El Salvador, the man no longer brings in viewers. (Sad!) We suppose this is why the Obamas struck a deal with Netflix. At least they’ll never have to suffer the indignity of publicizing how few people watched Starting 5.

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