[ad_1]
Donald Trump joked that he would step down as US President if hosting the annual Kennedy Center Awards goes well.
But audience ratings for this year’s annual ceremony fell to a record low amid controversy over the acquisition of the major Washington arts complex, to which Trump’s name was attached this month.
The 2025 awards broadcast on CBS averaged 3.01 million viewers, according to a report from Nielsen Live Same Day Panel Big Data cited by industry magazines Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
This figure was 25 percent less than 2024’s figure of 4.1 million viewers, itself a record low, and also less than 2023’s figure of 4.5 million.
Former reality TV star Trump was the first US president to host the awards ceremony, which this year honored “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, “Phantom of the Opera” star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and country legend George Strait.
Since returning to office in January, the 79-year-old Republican has launched a forceful takeover of the center, branding it “woke” and installing himself as chairman of an elected board.
Shortly before the December 23 broadcast of the awards ceremony, which was taped on December 7, Trump said on his Truth social network that he was hosting it “at everyone’s request.”
“Let me know what you think of my ‘Master of Ceremonies’ abilities. If really good, would you like me to leave the Presidency to make ‘hosting’ a full-time job?” He posted.
The center was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center in a board vote earlier this month that was met with outrage by family members of the late John F. Kennedy.
Several artists, including a major jazz group and a dance company, have canceled their shows at the center in protest of the new name.
Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the art center, condemned the artists’ cancellation of shows and said “they were booked by the previous leftist leadership.”
“Boycotting art to show support for art is a kind of neurotic syndrome,” he wrote on X late Monday.
According to US media reports, ticket sales have declined since the new board of directors took charge.
dk/shh
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
[ad_2]
