Trump Effect? Oscar Ratings Crater in Second Term
Gala draw smallest crowd in four years, but it's hardly alone on that front
Late-night propagandists would have little to say without President Donald Trump.
The real estate mogul has dominated their show prep for a decade. That intensified over the last 12-plus months, coaxing one host to lie so brazenly he lost his gig for a week.
They’d be lost without him, and yet it hasn’t prevented late-night TV’s current decline. “The Late Show” exits stage Left in May. The surviving shows face dwindling revenue and smaller audiences.
Will the last remaining late-night host turn out the lights?
Stephen Colbert’s Long ‘Late Show’ Goodbye Has Gone From Resistance to Ego Trip https://t.co/M5Bt0Dx6gT
— Variety (@Variety) March 12, 2026
President Trump has had a similar effect on the modern award show. These celebrity galas often feast on anti-Trump lectures, be it those “ICE out” pins or mocking the First Family. The messages may differ, but the target is typically the same.
President Trump.
And, as a result, Hollywood, Inc. watched awards show ratings slump.
RELATED: ‘REAGAN’ NOT DIVERSE ENOUGH FOR OSCARS
Their ratings stabilized somewhat during the Biden years, but with Trump back in office, the ratings decline resumed. Just look at the just-released Oscar numbers.
Sunday’s telecast drew 17.9 million viewers, the lowest tally since 2022. That was at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when theaters were recovering from nationwide lockdowns.
The latest Oscars gala had more dramatic potential than usual. The battle between “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” for Oscar supremacy gave the show a genuine must-see element. Plus, while some previous Best Picture hopefuls drew small crowds, “Sinners” became one of last year’s best surprises.
The film earned $279 million stateside, a massive number for an Oscar-bait film. Critics and audiences alike adored the vampire romp, given its Rotten Tomatoes score – 97 percent/96 percent “fresh.”
“One Battle After Another” trailed far behind, economically speaking, but it still generated a respectable $72 million. Let’s set aside that the film’s sky-high budget meant it could lose $100 million.
This wasn’t an indie film battle that isolated movie fans. This awards season slugfest could have drawn a bigger audience, especially with a less political host, Conan O’Brien, at the helm.
Apparently not. And, as Variety shares, the ratings dip isn’t isolated to the Oscars.
The declines for Sunday night’s broadcast, which was hosted by Conan O’Brien, matches similar dips seen by other major awards shows this winter, with the Golden Globes down 6% (8.66 million viewers) in January and the Grammys down 6% (14.4 million viewers) in February.
Call it the Trump Effect.
Audiences know the assembled artists can’t help themselves when Trump is in office. They must Resist™ at all costs. And, if that means lower ratings, so be it.
The artists aren’t losing out in that scenario. It’s the broadcast channels and industries in general that suffer. And they’ll keep suffering for the next three years.
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Politicians have lost their sense of humor. Mainly those posing as TV entertainers.