CNN has a problem, and the only obvious solution is more Scott Jennings. The liberal network's token Republican contributor distinguished himself throughout the 2024 election by repeatedly winning five-on-one debates against Democrats and journalists who are also Democrats. Americans who are normal don't watch CNN, but they've probably seen clips of Jennings's appearances in which he masterfully excoriates Democrats and their journalist allies for being out of touch with normal Americans. The videos often go viral, drawing considerably more viewers than the CNN programs on which he appears. Jennings is without a doubt the best thing to happen to CNN since Donald Trump's victory in 2016. According to the results of a Washington Free Beacon analysis, his popularity far exceeds that of the network, whose ratings have collapsed in the wake of Trump's second/third election.
Last week Jennings posted a two-minute clip of his November 19 appearance on NewsNight with Abby Phillip. In the video, Jennings calmly and accurately explained how the Democratic Party has alienated male voters with sneering condescension about "the patriarchy" and cheap gimmicks like selling camouflage hats on the Harris-Walz campaign website. It has racked up more than 1.1 million views on X (formerly Twitter), which is significantly more than the roughly 413,000 Americans who watch NewsNight on CNN. In reality, it's rather generous to assume that all those viewers were "watching" CNN at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday, considering that just 92,000 of them (or 22 percent) were between the ages of 25 and 54, the coveted demographic that TV advertisers really care about. CNN and other so-called mainstream networks are dying because the vast majority of their viewers are on the verge of death, dozing off in the nursing-home common room or waiting for the hospice nurse to come change their adult diapers. That might explain why women over the age of 65 were among the only demographics to shift toward Democrats in 2024.
Since November 5, CNN has averaged just 99,000 primetime viewers in the 25-54 age demographic, a decline of 36 percent compared with its pre-election ratings. MSNBC has averaged just 69,000 primetime viewers in the key demo during that time, a decline of more than 50 percent. Fox News, meanwhile, has commanded more than 73 percent of the cable news audience since the election, with an average primetime audience of 417,000 in the demo, an increase of 46 percent. CNN has already announced plans to fire staff and scale back exorbitant anchor salaries (someone named "John Berman" is believed to make more than $1 million per year) in an effort to cut costs. MSNBC parent company Comcast wants to get the declining and increasingly unhinged network off its books by spinning it off into a separate entity. Unlike Jennings, Fox's competitors, if you can even call them that at this point, aren't so bright.
Jennings's popularity on X, where he has amassed more than 300,000 followers, is indicative of his appeal to a wider, more diverse (and less decrepit) audience. According to a recent Pew survey, nearly 75 percent of X users are under the age of 49. The social media website has also become one of the most ideologically balanced platforms since billionaire Elon Musk purchased it in 2022. When Jennings pointed this fact out on Monday's episode of NewsNight, the liberals on the panel freaked out, accused Jennings of lying, and demanded to know the source behind his claim. In fact, CNN's own data guru, Harry Enten, had recently discussed the results of another Pew survey that found X users to be "basically split between Democrats at 48 percent, Republicans at 47 percent." Jennings posted a clip of the NewsNight exchange, combined with Enten's reporting from last week. It racked up more than 500,000 views in a matter of hours. For the sake of comparison, CNN averaged just 464,000 viewers in the first full week after the election, including just 88,000 (or 19 percent) in the 25-54 age group.
CNN has responded to Jennings's success by jealously restricting his freedom to talk about politics with his friends. Earlier this month, the hosts of the popular Ruthless podcast, many of whom worked with Jennings in the office of former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), revealed that CNN had denied Jennings's request to appear on the podcast. "They tell him that Ruthless is a competitor to CNN, and therefore they will not allow him to come on," said Josh Holmes, McConnell's former chief of staff. "I think we have better numbers, so I'm not sure how to take that."
WATCH: Token Republican Scott Jennings Makes CNN Watchable Again
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