The ratings are in and the 94th Academy Awards was the second-least watched Oscars in the history of the show since Nielsen started tracking viewers watching the annual event in the mid-1970s.
The 2022 Oscars on ABC scored 16.6 million viewers with a 3.76 rating in the coveted demographic of adults ages 18-49 in the final same-day ratings, reported the Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Monday.
Those numbers put the show up 58% in viewership compared to the 2021 show which had a historic low rating with 10.5 million watching the show in Live + Same Day Nielsen data, reported Variety. It also jumped up 73% in the vital age demo which had a 2.12 rating in 2021.
Oscars Draw 16.6 Million Viewers, Soaring 58% From Last Year’s Historic Low https://t.co/fad7mNrSbm
— Variety (@Variety) March 29, 2022
While those numbers compared to last year look impressive, it was still the second-worst viewership in the history of the Oscars. Until the 93rd Academy Awards, the show had never had fewer than 20 million people watching.
The slight increase in viewership in the first Oscars to have a host since 2018 followed similar ratings patterns the Emmys and Screen Actors Guild Awards enjoyed compared to the 2021 season, reported THR.
As previously reported by The Daily Wire, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall were picked to host the Oscars this year. Sykes opening monologue included an announcement to Florida that they were “going to have a Gay night.”
During the opening monologue at the Oscars, the 58-year-old co-host of the show stood next to the other two hosts, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, and cracked a few jokes about the night’s nominees before remarking on Florida’s bill HB 1557, the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“We’re gonna going have a great night tonight, and for you people in Florida, we’re gonna have a gay night,” Sykes shared.
Her co-hosts then started dancing around and saying “gay, gay, gay, gay” over and over again.
The first award given for the night was for the Best Supporting Actress. The winner was Ariana DeBose for her part in “West Side Story.”
During her award speech, DeBose talked about being queer, and sent a message to anyone who’s ever questioned their identity.
“Lastly, imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus,” Debose explained. “Look into her eyes. You see queer – an openly queer woman of color, an Afro‑Latina, who found her strength in life through art. And that’s what I believe we’re here to celebrate. Yeah.
“So, to anybody who has ever questioned your identity, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us,” she added.
The show not only generated a lot of attention for the comments from the hosts and award winners, but also after Will Smith walked on stage and struck Chris Rock after the comedian cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head amid her hair loss battle.
“Jada, I love ya,” Rock said. “‘G.I. Jane 2’ movie, can’t wait to see it.”
Smith then got up from his seat and struck Rock in the face.
The “Men in Black” star’s actions are currently under “formal review” by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has since issued a public apology to Rock admitting he was “out of line” and “wrong” for striking Rock.
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