This year’s White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) from Washington, D.C. took place on Apr. 29. Following in the footsteps of last year’s host and his former Daily Show co-worker Trevor Noah, comedian and current Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. was the emcee on this evening.
As usual, current events in news and politics were joked about at this dinner. Wood Jr. had said, “The untouchable Tucker Carlson is out of a job … To Tucker’s staff, I know what you’re feeling. I work at The Daily Show. I, too, have been blindsided by the sudden departure of the host of a fake news program.”
President Biden also joined in on the fun by chiming, “Look, I get that age is a completely reasonable issue: You might think I don’t like Rupert Murdoch. That’s simply not true. How can I dislike a guy who makes me look like Harry Styles?”
For the first time since 2017, the WHCD aired on another cable outlet (not counting the simulcast on the commercial-free non-Nielsen tabulated C-SPAN) in addition to CNN. MSNBC aired the event as well.
Due to this, the combined audience for the Roy Wood Jr. portion of the dinner (within the 10-11 p.m. ET hour) was 2.39 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was just enough to eclipse 2017’s mark of 2.38 million from CNN and MSNBC to earn the top cumulative crowd for a WHCD since President Obama’s final dinner in office from 2016 (4.9 million across CNN, FNC, and MSNBC). The 2016 WHCD emcee was another Daily Show personality, comedian Larry Wilmore.
In addition, the 2.39 million figure harkens back to the five-year period from 2013 thru 2017 (with the exception of 2014) where the event had regularly drawn well over two million viewers combined across multiple networks.
While CNN did not improve upon its 1.85 million result from 2022, it accounted for 1.54 million of this year’s combined figure at that 10-11 PM ET hour, along with 270,000 within the key 25-54 demographic; MSNBC drew 849,000 viewers and 81,000 adults 25-54 in the hour.
For the entire night’s coverage including the red carpet, entrances of attendees, and post-reaction, CNN averaged 1.07 million viewers including 181,000 adults 25-54 (from 8 p.m. to midnight); MSNBC delivered 728,000 total viewers and 85,000 adults 25-54 (from 8-11:14 p.m.).
Fox News Channel, which has not broadcast a WHCD since 2016, trailed both CNN and MSNBC in 25-54 (and CNN, in total viewers) on this Saturday, Apr. 29 evening with their combo of One Nation (790,000 viewers/60,000 adults 25-54 from 8-9 p.m.) and Lawrence Jones Cross Country (742,000 viewers/46,000 adults 25-54 from 9-11:03 p.m.).
Cable news averages forApril 24-30, 2023:
Total Day(Apr. 24-30 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.086 million viewers; 124,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 0.784 million viewers; 93,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.451 million viewers; 88,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.201 million viewers; 24,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.119 million viewers; 28,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.108 million viewers; 10,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.097 million viewers; 24,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.096 million viewers; 14,000 adults 25-54
Prime Time(Apr. 24-29 @ 8-11 p.m.; Apr. 30 @ 7-11 p.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.464 million viewers; 135,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 1.206 million viewers; 129,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.622 million viewers; 128,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.334 million viewers; 35,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.170 million viewers; 44,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.115 million viewers; 16,000 adults 25-54
- NewsNation: 0.105 million viewers; 16,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.065 million viewers; 16,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.054 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54
Top 10 most-watched cable news programs(and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks)in total viewers:
1. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.220 million viewers
2. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 4/25/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.889 million viewers
3. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 4/24/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.734 million viewers
4. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 4/26/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.626 million viewers
5. Fox News Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.597 million viewers
6. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.531 million viewers
7. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.453 million viewers
8. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 4/27/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.425 million viewers
9. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 4/28/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.406 million viewers
10. Special Report with Bret Baier (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 6:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.364 million viewers
40. White House Correspondents Dinner “2023” (CNN, Sat. 4/29/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.540 million viewers
163. Real Time with Bill Maher “Episode 633” (HBO, Fri. 4/28/2023 10:00 PM, 58 min.) 0.800 million viewers
218. Trump Rally New Hampshire (NMX, Thu. 4/27/2023 4:00 PM, 120 min.) 0.651 million viewers
330. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/30/2023 11:08 PM, 37 min.) 0.464 million viewers
357. The Daily Show “Apr 25, 23 – Desi Lydic” (CMDY, Tue. 4/25/2023 11:00 PM, 35 min.) 0.416 million viewers
409. Kudlow (FBN, Mon. 4/24/2023 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.341 million viewers
475. Highway Thru Hell “(1115) Double Carnage” (TWC, Sun. 4/30/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.268 million viewers
495. Squawk on the Street (CNBC, Tue. 4/25/2023 9:00 AM, 180 min.) 0.245 million viewers
529. Forensic Files (HLN, late Fri. 4/28/2023 2:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.214 million viewers
544. Cuomo (NWSN, Mon. 4/24/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.205 million viewers
841. Tooning Out The News “Tooning Out The News-122” (CMDY, Wed. 4/26/2023 11:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.105 million viewers
Top 10 cable news programs(and the topprograms of other outlets with their respective associated ranks)among adults 25-54:
1. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 4/24/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.356 million adults 25-54
2. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 4/25/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.327 million adults 25-54
3. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.326 million adults 25-54
4. Fox News Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.294 million adults 25-54
5. White House Correspondents Dinner “2023” (CNN, Sat. 4/29/2023 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.270 million adults 25-54
6. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.256 million adults 25-54
7. Outnumbered (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.253 million adults 25-54
8. Gutfeld! (FOXNC, Tue. 4/25/2023 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.249 million adults 25-54
9. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon. 4/24/2023 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.242 million adults 25-54
10. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 4/28/2023 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.242 million adults 25-54
62. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 4/30/2023 11:08 PM, 37 min.) 0.158 million adults 25-54
114. Real Time with Bill Maher “Episode 633” (HBO, Fri. 4/28/2023 10:00 PM, 58 min.) 0.136 million adults 25-54
170. The Daily Show “Apr 25, 23 – Desi Lydic” (CMDY, Tue. 4/25/2023 11:00 PM, 35 min.) 0.112 million adults 25-54
267. Trump Rally New Hampshire (NMX, Thu. 4/27/2023 4:00 PM, 120 min.) 0.084 million adults 25-54
341. Squawk on the Street (CNBC, Tue. 4/25/2023 9:00 AM, 180 min.) 0.069 million adults 25-54
358. Forensic Files (HLN, late Fri. 4/28/2023 2:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.065 million adults 25-54
388. Cuomo (NWSN, Mon. 4/24/2023 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.058 million adults 25-54
488. America’s Weekend Headquarters (TWC, Sat. 4/29/2023 9:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.042 million adults 25-54
605. Varney & Company (FBN, Fri. 4/28/2023 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.032 million adults 25-54
634. Tooning Out The News “Tooning Out The News-122” (CMDY, Wed. 4/26/2023 11:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.030 million adults 25-54
Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research
