US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the 48th Kennedy Center Honors gala at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on December 7, 2025. Photo: AFP / ALEX WROBLEWSKI
Donald Trump joked about quitting as US president if his hosting of the annual Kennedy Center awards went well.
But viewership ratings for this year's annual ceremony plummeted to a record low amid controversy over his takeover of the premier Washington arts complex, to which Trump's name was added this month.
The 2025 awards broadcast on CBS averaged 3.01 million viewers, according to a report from Nielsen Live + Same Day Panel + Big Data, cited by industry journals Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
The figure was down 25 percent from 2024's figure of 4.1 million viewers, which was itself a record low and down from 2023's 4.5 million.
Former reality TV star Trump was the first US president to host the awards gala, which this year honoured Rocky actor Sylvester Stallone, Phantom of the Opera star Michael Crawford, disco legend Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and country legend George Strait.
Since returning to office in January, the 79-year-old Republican has launched a forceful takeover of the centre, branding it too "woke" and installing himself as chairman of a hand-picked board.
Shortly before the 23 December broadcast of the awards ceremony, which was taped on 7 December, Trump took to his Truth Social network to say he was hosting it at the request of "just about everybody".
"Tell me what you think of my 'Master of Ceremony' abilities. If really good, would you like me to leave the Presidency in order to make 'hosting' a full time job?" he posted.
The centre was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center earlier this month in a vote by the board that sparked outrage from family members of the late John F. Kennedy.
A number of artists including a prominent jazz group and a dance company have since cancelled shows at the centre to protest the new name.
Richard Grenell, the Trump-appointed president of the arts centre, denounced the performers cancelling shows and said they "were booked by the previous far left leadership".
"Boycotting the Arts to show you support the Arts is a form of derangement syndrome," he wrote on X late Monday.
According to US media reports, ticket sales have declined since the new board of directors took over.
- AFP