The combined star power of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar couldn’t save the Grammys from another ratings embarrassment.
CBS’s live broadcast of the Grammy Awards on Sunday was a ratings bomb, with the show attracting 15.4 million viewers, down 8.8 percent from 16.9 million last year, according to Nielsen figures.
The broadcast featured a number of celebrities who took to the stage at the Crypto Arena in downtown Los Angeles to lecture viewers at home on a number of divisive political and social issues, including DEI and transgenderism.
Lady Gaga used her moment in the spotlight as a presenter to get political.
“Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love, the queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love. Thank you,” she said.
Alicia Keys also got political, calling for more “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) in America, not less.
“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” said Keys. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift.””
Like other major Hollywood awards shows, the Grammys has seen its ratings decline precipitously over the years as American households are choosing to tune out by the tens of millions.
Grammy viewership peaked at nearly 40 million in 2012 and dropped steadily in the following years. The annual show celebrating the recording industry saw what was a promising uptick in the years immediately following the pandemic. But Sunday’s figures show that it has a long way to go to reclaim its highs from less than a decade ago.
This year’s Golden Globes ceremony on CBS also saw a decline in ratings, drawing 1 million fewer viewers than last year.
