The Kennedy Center is defending itself against critics who say that this year’sHonors ceremony dropped in ratings when it aired on CBS and on Paramount+.
Both the Trump Kennedy Center and CBS are under pressure from their foes — the former due to the center’s recent renaming and the latter due to the ownership of David Ellison, who is working to transform CBS News into a news outlet with broad appeal. However, according to ratings obtained by the Washington Reporter, the show was nevertheless a success, especially among key younger demographics.
“With overall television usage down roughly 20 percent year over year, the broadcast still tied for the #1 spot among adults aged 25-54, alongside a live NBA doubleheader,” Roma Daravi, the center’s Vice President of Public Relations, told the Reporter. “Comparing this year’s broadcast ratings to prior years is a classic apples-to-oranges comparison and evidence of far-left bias. The program performed extremely well across key demographics and platforms, despite industry and timing disadvantages, including a Tuesday air date two days before Christmas…On social media, Honors garnered 1.5 billion impressions in just one night — up from only 50 million similar impressions last year. This was a successful night celebrating the outstanding achievements of our Honorees at the Trump Kennedy Center.”
The most recent Honors, which celebrated the careers of Gloria Gaynor, KISS, Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, and Michael Crawford, also nearly doubled the amount raised by the Kennedy Center’s President Richard Grenell’s predecessors for the prior ceremony.
The Honors red carpet featured President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, as well as Trump administration members like Howard Lutnick and Mehmet Oz, and celebrities like Criss Angel and Neal McDonough.
