Saturday Night Live is enjoying its highest ratings in over 20 years

By Danette Chavez | February 8, 2017 | 3:01pm

Aux Features TV

Comedy seems to thrive in adversity—according to the latest ratings for Saturday Night Live, the long-running satirical sketch show is seeing its highest numbers in over 20 years. Variety reports that Donald Trump’s victory at the polls, as well as his relentless “criticism” of the show, have boosted viewership among among adults 18-49. SNL’s February 4 episode was the second highest rated of the week, trailing behind The Big Bang Theory.

Here are some more numbers that attest to this yuge development: SNL’s viewership has grown by 19% among adults 18-49, and 22% in total viewers (that’s now 10.6 million), when compared to the same period last season. NBC says these ratings are the highest they’ve been since the 1994-1995 season. SNL certainly looks poised to capitalize on the momentum—there’s talk of a Weekend Update spin-off for primetime, and another famous impression in the works.