Overview
- The Dec. 23 CBS telecast averaged 3.01 million viewers per final Nielsen data, down about 25–26% from 2024’s 4.1 million.
- Trump became the first sitting president to host the Honors, which were taped Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C., and also streamed on Paramount+.
- The board voted to rebrand the venue as The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, a move facing legal pushback.
- CBS instructed staff to keep using “Kennedy Center” on air until Congress acts, diverging from the institution’s announced name.
- Backlash has included statements from Kennedy family members and artist cancellations, and the longtime CBS broadcast deal expires after this season.