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Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
CNN anchor Jake Tapper experiences decade-low rating
CNN anchor Jake Tapper (pictured) has suffered his lowest-rated month in a decade amid backlash over his tell-all book about former President Joe Biden's mental health decline. The Lead with Jake Tapper averaged just 525,000 viewers from April 28 through May 25 - shedding a quarter of its audience from the same period last year, new Nielsen ratings show. The devastating numbers came as the liberal anchor continues his whirlwind book tour to promote the expose. Tapper has been ubiquitous on podcasts, talk shows and cable news to promote the book, which was also widely celebrated on CNN. The tome, 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,' was co-written with Axios reporter Alex Thompson. His CNN program was beat out by Fox News' The Five and Special Report with Bret Baier, which averaged 3.3 million viewers, as well as MSNBC's programming in the time slot - which averaged a little over one million viewers. That means Tapper's show received only 11 percent of the national cable news audience, while MSNBC received 21 percent and Fox received 68 percent. It also represented Tapper's lowest-rated month since August 2015, according to Fox News. Even worse, The Lead with Jake Tapper is seeing a lower audience of 25 to 54 year olds - a demographic that is coveted by advertisers and helps networks earn revenue. He averaged just 95,000 viewers in the demographic from April 28 through May 25, representing a 15 percent drop from last year. But Tapper was not alone with his abysmal ratings, as CNN itself suffered its second-worst month ever among the coveted demographic across both daytime and primetime shows in May. A spokesperson for CNN did not seem worried, though, noting that Nielsen Media Research only reflects the network's audience in the United States - and Tapper's program airs internationally. 'The award-winning program The Lead with Jake Tapper reaches broad global audiences across CNN, CNN International and Max's streaming platform,' the spokesperson told Fox. 'No single metric can capture the true reach and impact of a program driving the national conversation,' the spokesperson insisted. Indeed, Tapper's new book - which chronicles Biden's declining health as he served as president - took on new relevance when it was revealed earlier this month that Biden was diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer. However, his appearances on news programs and the ratings for his new book were overshadowed by claims that Tapper was complicit in the cover-up. Some online have even branded the journalist a 'fraud' and a 'phony' as they shared videos of him hitting out at Republicans who wanted to investigate Biden's mental acuity. In October 2020, he even hit out at Lara Trump, who pointed to a speech Biden gave in October 2020 and said: 'What we see on stage is a very clear cognitive decline.' Tapper immediately interjected, savaging her with a haughty response that she had 'absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline' and accusing her of instead 'mocking his stutter.' The journalist, though, claims he trusted Biden and his aides and took them at their word when they assured him that all was well. He said the turning point for him was the disastrous debate between Biden and Trump in June 2024, which he and fellow CNN star Dana Bash moderated. 'Knowing what I know now, obviously I feel tremendous humility about my coverage,' Tapper told Megyn Kelly, as he admitted that 'conservative media was correct' in how it handled the story. 'There should be a lot of soul-searching not just among me but among the legacy media to begin with - all of us - for how this was covered or not covered sufficiently,' he said. 'I wish I could do differently.' Tapper has since admitted that the cover-up of Joe Biden's cognitive decline in the White House may have been 'worse than Watergate.' He has even reportedly apologized to Lara Trump for his remarks. 'Jake Tapper called me about two months ago and he said "I have this book coming out,"' she told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. Tapper told her 'I know everybody is saying I should apologize to you. I plan, when the book comes out, to go on TV and say you were right and I was wrong.' Still, Tapper has continued to face criticism for his coverage of the Biden administration - with Lara saying that even though she appreciates his acknowledgement of wrongdoing and that Tapper has stuck to his vow to apologize publicly, 'it feels a little bit too late to me. Jake Tapper can't discount his role in that, no matter how much he wants to come out now,' she said. 'They have lost the American people's trust... It is the reason Donald Trump is in the White House right now. People like authenticity.' The CNN host then appeared to squirm on Wednesday when Stephen A. Smith called his new book a 'money grab.' Tapper insisted that 'very few people write books to make money' and claimed his and Thompson's 'only agenda was to find out what happened. Our only agenda was to write this book. 'In terms of the left it's a money grab, I mean that's not the case. It's not - this is, I don't want to get into where my money comes from,' the journalist stammered. 'You know, CNN is my main job and that's where my main source of income, by far... Very few people write books to make money,' he babbled on. 'You write a book because you want to say something. You want to have a legacy, you want to uncover something, you have a message you want to get out there,' Tapper insisted.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jen Psaki starts new MSNBC show in Rachel Maddow's former time slot
Jen Psaki took over the coveted 9pm Tuesday - Friday slot on MSNBC last week - but just two nights in to her broadcast, viewership has crumbled. Psaki, a former White House press secretary, replaced Rachel Maddow with a new show titled 'The Briefing,' but her sudden ratings collapse appears to be one of the most humiliating flops in recent cable news memory. After building momentum with her Sunday show 'Inside,' Psaki was elevated by MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler as a face of the network's new era. Maddow had taken up the five-nights-a-week schedule to cover Donald Trump's first 100 days of his second term. She will now return to her weekly Monday night show while Psaki takes over. The change was seen as an opportunity to hand the reins to Psaki, a DC insider with access and experience, setting out to do four nights from Tuesday through Friday. But instead of holding steady, Psaki's first full week has seen a ratings freefall. According to Nielsen data, The Briefing launched on Tuesday with a respectable 1.2 million total viewers and 139,000 in the critical 25–54 age demographic - the group most coveted by advertisers. But by Wednesday night, Psaki's audience cratered to just over one million viewers, and her key demo numbers plunged by 53 percent, down to a startling 65,000. Among younger viewers aged 18–49, the drop was even steeper - a brutal 67 percent collapse from Tuesday to Wednesday as her ratings fell off a cliff. The Briefing was trounced not just by its competitors at Fox News and CNN, but by 38 other cable news programs across networks. Psaki's show was outperformed in the demographic by reruns of 'Seinfeld,' 'Friends,' 'Bob's Burgers,' 'The King of Queens,' and even Nickelodeon's 'Paw Patrol.' Among MSNBC's own programming, the ratings provide difficult viewing. From 8-11pm, Wednesday marked MSNBC's lowest-rated night since January 8, before President Trump was sworn in for his second term. And at 9pm, Psaki delivered the lowest-rated MSNBC slot on a Wednesday during that hour since Alex Wagner's disastrous showing in December 2024. Psaki always knew she had a difficult task trying to follow Rachel Maddow, the face of MSNBC for nearly two decades, and acknowledged as much in an interview last month. 'There's only one Rachel Maddow,' Psaki said. 'Even if I trained at the Rachel Maddow anchor school - which doesn't exist, that I'm aware of - for five years, I could never do what she does how she does it.' She emphasized how she intended to bring her own experience from 20 years in Democratic politics, including her time with Presidents Obama and Biden, to offer 'clarity' and 'stories of hope.' But doesn't seem to be enough to hold viewers. Before stepping away from her five-night schedule, Maddow confessed Psaki's show would be better than hers because the former press secretary has actual news connections. 'The thing she has which I do not have, which is going to make 9 o'clock better with Jen Psaki than it is with Rachel Maddow, is that she both knows people and knows how to talk to people,' Maddow told People. 'I really am a weird little hermit who works great with my staff, but I don't know anybody in Washington. I don't know anybody in the news, and it's on purpose. 'I am not great at interacting with people. I'm not a great interviewer and I'm not great at cultivating sources. It's not my thing. I'm a reader, not a talker.' Maddow expressed her support in Psaki as her successor, claiming she believes Psaki will be immune to the 'television curse that turns decent people into monsters.' 'I don't know anybody else who really can do that the way that she does,' Maddow said. 'She's not been susceptible to that wizardry. She's a good person.' Indeed, the decision to hand Psaki the 9pm slot was seen as a bold move by MSNBC's leadership - particularly as the network navigates both a corporate split from NBC News and a changing media landscape during Trump's second term. Psaki's critics argue that the experiment shows MSNBC may have overestimated her star power and underestimated Maddow's gravitational pull. The network had already seen a decline when Alex Wagner (pictured) attempted to fill Maddow's shoes. Wagner was eventually shuffled to a new role following lackluster ratings. Despite the poor start, Psaki remains focused on the long term. During April's interview she said she hoped to use her show to help viewers make sense of a chaotic moment. 'Right now, in this moment, as the federal government is being dismantled and the rule of law is being threatened, there's a huge appetite for information and understanding of what the heck is happening,' Psaki said. She added that the name change from Inside to The Briefing reflected a shift in tone, away from the idea that Washington insiders have all the answers: 'I didn't want to send the message to viewers that that was our assumption.' It may be too early to say whether Psaki's disastrous Wednesday ratings were a one-off slump or the beginning of a downward spiral. Cable ratings can fluctuate in the early days of a show's run, and MSNBC may give The Briefing time to stabilize but her launch has been bruising, and the 9pm hour, once a dominant force under Maddow is facing a full-blown crisis. Psaki's promotion is the latest in a slew of changes by new MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler (pictured). Kutler axed Joy Reid and canceled her namesake show The ReidOut, which has been a fixture of MSNBC's evening programming since 2020. Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin have also been given the boot from their current timeslots by the network's new boss. Kutler was officially named president of MSNBC on February 12, after dropping her interim title following Rashida Jones' departure. MSNBC stars and contributors have reportedly had to endure several indignities as the progressive network aims to cut costs amid plummeting ratings. In recent years, contributors to the network have sometimes had to pay for their own Ubers to get to the MSNBC DC studios, and have been forced to do their own makeup, as reported by Puck News. As the outlet puts it, it is '[sad], but justifiable when you're averaging less than 600,000 viewers in total day and less than 60,000 in the demo.' The DC studios are the home base for anchors such Psaki and the former headquarters for fired Reid. MSNBC has been struggling with its audience and is preparing to split from parent its company NBCUniversal later this year.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MSNBC host Jen Psaki suffers humiliating blow after taking over primetime show from Rachel Maddow
Jen Psaki took over the coveted 9pm Tuesday - Friday slot on MSNBC last week - but just two nights in to her broadcast, viewership has crumbled. Psaki, a former White House press secretary, replaced Rachel Maddow with a new show titled 'The Briefing,' but her sudden ratings collapse appears to be one of the most humiliating flops in recent cable news memory. After building momentum with her Sunday show 'Inside,' Psaki was elevated by MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler as a face of the network's new era. Maddow had taken up the five-nights-a-week schedule to cover Donald Trump 's first 100 days of his second term. She will now return to her weekly Monday night show while Psaki takes over. The change was seen as an opportunity to hand the reins to Psaki, a DC insider with access and experience, setting out to do four nights from Tuesday through Friday. But instead of holding steady, Psaki's first full week has seen a ratings freefall. According to Nielsen data, The Briefing launched on Tuesday with a respectable 1.2 million total viewers and 139,000 in the critical 25–54 age demographic - the group most coveted by advertisers. But by Wednesday night, Psaki's audience cratered to just over one million viewers, and her key demo numbers plunged by 53 percent, down to a startling 65,000. Psaki was replacing Rachel Maddow's five-night-a-week stint with a new show called The Briefing Among younger viewers aged 18–49, the drop was even steeper - a brutal 67 percent collapse from Tuesday to Wednesday as her ratings fell off a cliff. The Briefing was trounced not just by its competitors at Fox News and CNN, but by 38 other cable news programs across networks. Psaki's show was outperformed in the demographic by reruns of 'Seinfeld,' 'Friends,' 'Bob's Burgers,' 'The King of Queens,' and even Nickelodeon's 'Paw Patrol.' Among MSNBC's own programming, the ratings provide difficult viewing. From 8-11pm, Wednesday marked MSNBC's lowest-rated night since January 8, before President Trump was sworn in for his second term. And at 9pm, Psaki delivered the lowest-rated MSNBC slot on a Wednesday during that hour since Alex Wagner's disastrous showing in December 2024. Psaki always knew she had a difficult task trying to follow Rachel Maddow, the face of MSNBC for nearly two decades, and acknowledged as much in an interview last month. 'There's only one Rachel Maddow,' Psaki said. 'Even if I trained at the Rachel Maddow anchor school - which doesn't exist, that I'm aware of - for five years, I could never do what she does how she does it.' Jen Psaki served as the White House Press Secretary from January 20, 2021, to May 13, 2022 She emphasized how she intended to bring her own experience from 20 years in Democratic politics, including her time with Presidents Obama and Biden, to offer 'clarity' and 'stories of hope.' But doesn't seem to be enough to hold viewers. Before stepping away from her five-night schedule, Maddow confessed Psaki's show would be better than hers because the former press secretary has actual news connections. 'The thing she has which I do not have, which is going to make 9 o'clock better with Jen Psaki than it is with Rachel Maddow, is that she both knows people and knows how to talk to people,' Maddow told People. 'I really am a weird little hermit who works great with my staff, but I don't know anybody in Washington. I don't know anybody in the news, and it's on purpose. 'I am not great at interacting with people. I'm not a great interviewer and I'm not great at cultivating sources. It's not my thing. I'm a reader, not a talker.' Maddow expressed her support in Psaki as her successor, claiming she believes Psaki will be immune to the 'television curse that turns decent people into monsters.' 'I don't know anybody else who really can do that the way that she does,' Maddow said. 'She's not been susceptible to that wizardry. She's a good person.' Indeed, the decision to hand Psaki the 9pm slot was seen as a bold move by MSNBC's leadership - particularly as the network navigates both a corporate split from NBC News and a changing media landscape during Trump's second term. Psaki's critics argue that the experiment shows MSNBC may have overestimated her star power and underestimated Maddow's gravitational pull. The network had already seen a decline when Alex Wagner attempted to fill Maddow's shoes. Wagner was eventually shuffled to a new role following lackluster ratings. Despite the poor start, Psaki remains focused on the long term. During April's interview she said she hoped to use her show to help viewers make sense of a chaotic moment. 'Right now, in this moment, as the federal government is being dismantled and the rule of law is being threatened, there's a huge appetite for information and understanding of what the heck is happening,' Psaki said. She added that the name change from Inside to The Briefing reflected a shift in tone, away from the idea that Washington insiders have all the answers: 'I didn't want to send the message to viewers that that was our assumption.' It may be too early to say whether Psaki's disastrous Wednesday ratings were a one-off slump or the beginning of a downward spiral. Cable ratings can fluctuate in the early days of a show's run, and MSNBC may give The Briefing time to stabilize but her launch has been bruising, and the 9pm hour, once a dominant force under Maddow is facing a full-blown crisis. Psaki's promotion is the latest in a slew of changes by new MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler. Kutler axed Joy Reid and canceled her namesake show The ReidOut, which has been a fixture of MSNBC's evening programming since 2020. Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin have also been given the boot from their current timeslots by the network's new boss. Kutler was officially named president of MSNBC on February 12, after dropping her interim title following Rashida Jones' departure. MSNBC stars and contributors have reportedly had to endure several indignities as the progressive network aims to cut costs amid plummeting ratings. In recent years, contributors to the network have sometimes had to pay for their own Ubers to get to the MSNBC DC studios, and have been forced to do their own makeup, as reported by Puck News. As the outlet puts it, it is '[sad], but justifiable when you're averaging less than 600,000 viewers in total day and less than 60,000 in the demo.' The DC studios are the home base for anchors such Psaki and the former headquarters for fired Reid. MSNBC has been struggling with its audience and is .
Fox News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Psaki bombs: MSNBC's newest primetime program sheds 53% of viewers from key demo in second episode
MSNBC's Jen Psaki bombed on Wednesday night. Psaki took over MSNBC's coveted 9 p.m. ET timeslot on Tuesday through Fridays this week as "The Rachel Maddow Show" returned to only airing on Mondays, after Maddow temporarily returned to airing five nights a week during President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. Psaki, a former Biden administration press secretary, hosted "Inside" on Sundays and Mondays, and now hosts "The Briefing" at the critical hour. On Tuesday, Psaki's "The Briefing" debuted with 1.2 million viewers and 139,000 in the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, but her second episode on Wednesday plummeted to just over one million total viewers and only 65,000 in the demo. MSNBC's newest program shed a staggering 53% of its demo viewers compared to the first episode only one day prior. Psaki's program also lost a whopping 67% of viewers between the ages of 18-49 after only one episode, as "The Briefing" averaged 113,000 on Tuesday and only 37,000 on Wednesday. MSNBC had much better results at 9 p.m. ET last week with Maddow at the helm, as she averaged 1.9 million total viewers and 141,000 among viewers aged 25-54. Psaki's second episode managed to shed 46% of those totals among total viewers and 54% in the critical demo. Psaki's Wednesday episode was outdrawn by 38 different cable news offerings among the advertiser-coveted demo despite the cushy timeslot. MSNBC's 9 p.m. ET program was outdrawn by everything Fox News Channel had to offer, along with 13 different CNN shows and seven MSNBC programs. On Wednesday, Psaki's "The Briefing" also had fewer viewers among adults aged 25-54 than various repeats of "Friends," "Seinfeld," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Bob's Burgers," "The King of Queens," and "That 70s Show," along with Nickelodeon's "Paw Patrol," Hallmark's "Reba," and TLC's "My Strange Addiction," and many other basic cable offerings. Psaki also failed to boost her primetime colleagues, as it was MSNBC's lowest-rated Wednesday from 8-11 p.m. among both total viewers and the demo since January 8, before Trump was sworn in for his second term. It was also MSNBC's lowest-rated 9 p.m. program among the demo on a Wednesday since Alex Wagner managed only 40,000 advertiser-coveted viewers on December 11, 2024. Psaki served as Biden's first press secretary from 2021 until May 2022.
