The 67th Grammy Awards raised millions of dollars for fire relief efforts in Southern California while the ratings saw a drop in viewership from 2024.
The CBS telecast of Sunday’s music awards show scored 15.4 million viewers, according to same-day ratings from Nielsen, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That’s down from the 17 million who tuned in for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards last year. While Sunday’s numbers were down compared to last year, it was the third largest show since 2020, the outlet noted.
Since the pandemic, the Grammy Awards have seen a rollercoaster of viewership, with an average of under 10 million viewers in 2021 and 2022 tuning in to see if their favorite singer would take home the Grammy. In 2023, the show had a slight bounce back to pre-pandemic numbers with 12.55 million watching, before the 17 million number the show brought in last year.
Despite Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar, ratings for the Grammys fall https://t.co/OeuEb4PXad
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 4, 2025
To put those numbers into context, the 2020 Grammys — which took place before the pandemic and lockdowns — scored 18.69 million viewers.
During Sunday night’s show, the fires and communities destroyed in the multiple wildfires were top of mind as host Trevor Noah announced the academy would accept donations throughout the evening to help with recovery efforts.
CBS and the recording academy announced that the awards show helped raise $9 million for fire relief efforts in Los Angeles and the academy and MusiCares brought in $24 million in charitable giving, THR noted. In addition, FireAid benefit concerts in LA helped raise more than $100 million to support ongoing recovery efforts, the outlet noted.
Despite the Sunday show celebrating the efforts by firefighters tackling insane blazes for weeks, the night’s host comedian Trevor Noah turned things political with a jab at President Donald Trump in his opening monologue.
“There’s been a few changes in Washington. I’m going to enjoy tonight because this may be the last time I get to host anything in this country,” Noah told the room.
Several other artists attempted to make the night about political issues as well, with acceptance speeches about DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), transgender issues, and illegal immigrants, as previously reported.
Shakira was honored for Best Latin pop album and said, “I want to dedicate this award to all of my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country. You are loved, you’re worth it, and I will always fight for you.” Her comment was in reaction to Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Near the end of the show, singer Alicia Keys was honored with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, and claimed that DEI “is not a threat, it’s a gift. And the more voices, the more powerful the sound.” Trump and numerous corporations across the country have opted to get rid of their DEI programs.
Related: Ricky Gervais Torches Grammy Winners’ Political Speeches
