The Kennedy Center’s Honors ratings plummet after Trump’s takeover
Ratings for the Kennedy Center Honors have fallen sharply this year, according to a report from the WashingtonPost. The meager turnout comes shortly after Donald Trump added his name to the historic forum.
This year’s Kennedy Center Honors, hosted by Trump, averaged 3.01 million viewers, according to a Nielsen report obtained by the Post from CBS. This represents a decrease of 25% compared to last year’s figures. The 2024 show hit a low of 4.1 million viewers after reaching 4.5 million viewers the year before.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond Variety‘s request for comment.
Trump is the first sitting president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, which honors “individuals whose unique contributions have shaped our world,” according to the organization’s website. This year’s winners were George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Michael Crawford and Gloria Gaynor.
On December 6, the day before the event, Trump told reporters at the White House: “It’s going to be something I believe in, and I’m going to make a prediction: This will be the highest-rated show they’ve ever done and they’ve gotten pretty good ratings, but there’s nothing like what’s going to happen tomorrow night.”
Trump has set his sights on reshaping the Kennedy Center in his image during his second term, going so far as to rename the site “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” in mid-December. The name change received significant backlash and as a result, several scheduled acts canceled their upcoming performances.
