Stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings mocked CNN’s low ratings during the channel’s special live coverage of New Year’s Eve.
While appearing on CNN’s long-running “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” on Tuesday night, Cummings joked about the cable news channel having a sparse audience.
“I’m now playing 3,000-person shows, which is about the viewership of CNN these days,” the comic said during the program.
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Cummings’ dig came just two hours before the ball dropped in New York City’s Times Square on Tuesday night. She softened the blow, adding, “Not this show, though. All eyes are on this show.”
The hosts, Bravo’s Andy Cohen and longtime CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, appeared to take Cummings’ jab in stride. “Nice, nice,” Cooper replied, letting out a laugh, while Cohen remarked, “You’re all fiery today.”
Continuing to play along, Cooper mentioned that he and Cohen did a tour together that had audiences similar in size to Cummings’ tour. “We did like 3,000 people,” he said.
The comic’s joke was definitely on target for the ratings-challenged network, which lost a massive chunk of viewers following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
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In the two weeks following Trump’s win, CNN saw double-digit percentage drops across the board in key metrics, shedding 33% of total viewers compared to 2024 averages, losing 39% in the demo and 36% of its already small audience during primetime.
During the first week of December, CNN’s primetime lineup of “Anderson Cooper 360,” “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” and “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip” averaged only 367,000 total viewers from 8-11 p.m. By comparison, Fox News Channel averaged 2.5 million total primetime viewers during the same period.
Those numbers put CNN at No. 17 among cable stations’ primetime lineups that week. The Food Network’s primetime offering saw a bigger audience during that same period.
Elsewhere during her CNN appearance, Cummings blasted the entertainment industry for lecturing Americans.
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When asked about her new hosting gig for streaming service Max of a “Friends”-themed trivia show, “Fast Friends,” and whether she’s a fan of the legendary 90s sitcom, she replied, “You know what, I’m a ‘Friends’ fan. I’m also a fan of entertainment that just entertains. There’s this new thing where everything in Hollywood has to, like, lecture people how to vote and make you feel guilty about global warming.”
“It’s just a fun show, no creeps. It’s just warm, wholesome,” the comic added.
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