“Smallest audience ever”: Trump’s first Kennedy Center Honors post name-change pulls in half the audience of last year

President Donald Trump has been in the news a lot this month for his unsavory behavior.

Between his abhorrent response to Rob and Michele Reiner's murder, the rambling plaques added to the White House's Presidential Walk of Fame, and the continued release of the Epstein files, the President isn't exactly at his most popular. This was proven by the fact that his Kennedy Center Honors ceremony received the show's lowest audience ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9uzoX3rwsg

Soon after Trump’s second term began, he took over the Kennedy Center. He cleaned house, replaced the board of trustees with his own loyalists, and added his name to the building. Co-opting an assassinated president's biggest memorial is a move that would have sounded insane a few years ago, but it's par for the course for Trump.

Trump-Kennedy Center's first flop

Many people have been vocally against Trump's Kennedy Center takeover. In fact, he was booed during a Les Mis performance over the summer. However, that's not enough to slow down history's most infamous narraccist.

This week, Trump hosted the 48th Annual Kennedy Center Honors. He previously claimed that people were begging him to do it, but only half of last year's audience tuned in.

"According to preliminary Nielsen data, 'The Kennedy Center Honors' on CBS drew its smallest audience ever on the night of December 23, 2025, averaging an estimated 2.65 million viewers. To put that in perspective: the 2024 broadcast averaged 4.1 million," Programming Insider posted on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/PIUpdate/status/2003907910699450814

People react to Trump's failed Kennedy Honors

Trump has spent much of his presidency boasting about ratings, which is to be expected when you elect a reality TV host. Naturally, the Internet isn't holding back when it comes to his poor Kennedy Honors ratings.

Classic braggart behavior...

https://twitter.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/2004273584982860111

Even fans of the honorees didn't tune in.

https://twitter.com/michaelolso1/status/2003939332374352331

Disgraceful.

https://twitter.com/doggintrump/status/1997857938170692018

"People aren’t into authoritarian cosplay hijacking their TV at Christmas" goes hard.

https://twitter.com/ChrisDJackson/status/2004394958086984075

"Senile Satan" goes harder.

https://twitter.com/NotHoodlum/status/2004380444482326822

Same.

https://twitter.com/hanwitopa/status/2004612616283717787

"Everything Trump touches dies..."

https://twitter.com/RichardAngwin/status/2004363464308150367

Points were made.

https://www.reddit.com/r/entertainment/comments/1pvl702/comment/nvwyq4k/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

In conclusion:

https://www.reddit.com/r/entertainment/comments/1pvl702/comment/nvzcfgz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

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