Trump-hosted Kennedy Center Honors hits all-time low in viewers
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, hosted by Donald Trump, just had its lowest ratings ever—only 3.01 million people tuned in on CBS, a sharp drop from last year's 4.1 million.
The show, usually a big celebration of American artists, struggled to keep its audience this time around.
First-ever presidential host falls short of his own hype
Trump made history as the first sitting president to host the event and predicted it would be "the highest-rated show that they've ever done."
Instead, viewership dropped by over a million compared to last year.
The night still honored big names like George Strait, KISS, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, and Sylvester Stallone.
Controversial changes stir backlash
Trump installed himself as chairman of a hand-picked board and even renamed the venue after himself alongside JFK.
These moves upset the Kennedy family and led some artists to pull out—yet none of it helped boost interest or ratings among viewers.