What To Know
- Tom Hanks poked fun at MS NOW’s viewership numbers during a live interview at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center.
- Hanks’ comments prompted a slightly surprised reaction from anchor Katy Tur.
- Despite recent ratings growth, MS NOW continues to trail behind Fox News in both total and demo viewership.
Tom Hanks took an unexpected dig at MS NOW’s viewership on Thursday, June 18, while speaking to reporters at the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The two-time Oscar winner was chatting with his fellow celebrities when MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff pulled him aside for a quick interview. “OK, what can I do for the 800 people watching MSNOW?” Hanks quipped.
“Oh, come on. We’re live on MS NOW,” Soboroff said while placing a hand on Hanks’ shoulder.
“All right, add a zero to it if you need to,” the Forrest Gump star, 69, added.
Soboroff took the joke on the chin, replying, “I would say millions now that you’re on our air.”
Tom Hanks roasts MS NOW’s viewership during a live interview at the Obama presidential center opening, taking aim at the outlet’s audience numbers in a moment that caught hosts off guard. pic.twitter.com/8rOuaxpTO8
— Fox News Flash (@FoxNews_Flash) June 19, 2026
After the pair talked about the Obama Presidential Center, Soboroff thanked Hanks for “adding the zero to our ratings today.” The Captain Phillips actor replied, “I gotta tell ya, I can hear the clicks happening before my very eyes.”
Soboroff then threw back to Katy Tur in the studio, who looked a little taken aback by Hanks’ comments. “All right, thanks, Tom. Appreciate that,” Tur said. “He has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past, getting a new coffee machine for the White House correspondents.”
Hanks was among many celebrities in attendance for the launch of former President Barack Obama‘s new center, which includes a public library and museum. Others who attended the event included Oprah Winfrey, Conan O’Brien, Mark Hamill, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, Quinta Brunson, Steven Spielberg, and many more.
MS NOW averaged 1.4 million total viewers and 139,000 demo viewers for the first quarter of 2026, per Nielsen Big Data + Panel ratings. This was up 8% among total viewers and up 21% in the demo compared to the same period in 2025. The network was also up across total day, averaging 690,000 total viewers and 72,000 demo viewers.
However, MS NOW still trailed Fox News, which averaged 2.6 million total viewers and 265,000 demo viewers in primetime for the first quarter. The network also averaged 1.7 million viewers and 172,000 demo viewers across total day viewership.