Overview
- Nielsen reports the Dec. 23 CBS telecast averaged 3.01 million viewers, the lowest in Honors history and below 2021’s 4.1 million.
- President Donald Trump served as host, marking the first time a sitting president led the program.
- Days before the airing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced a rename adding Trump’s name to the center.
- The leadership overhaul and rebranding prompted cancellations and resignations by artists such as Issa Rae, Renée Fleming, Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds, alongside objections from Kennedy family members.
- The special was filmed Dec. 7 in Washington, prior to the rename announcement, and honored Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, KISS, George Strait and Gloria Gaynor.