Overview
- Preliminary Nielsen data estimate the CBS telecast drew 2.65 million viewers, about 35% below 2024’s 4.1 million and the smallest audience on record for the show.
- President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to host the Honors, which aired on December 23 after being taped on December 7.
- CBS cut Trump’s opening remarks from roughly 12 minutes at the event to about two minutes for the broadcast, according to published reports.
- Network leadership instructed staff to refer to the venue and program as the Kennedy Center, citing that an official name change would require Congress, despite a recent board vote to rename it after Trump.
- Relatives of John F. Kennedy publicly criticized the renaming decision, and some coverage noted the Tuesday, pre-Christmas, tape-delayed slot could have dampened live TV viewership.