For years, Americans turned off by Hollywood haughtiness, partisan taunting, and general wokeness have tuned out of celebrity awards shows. The 98th Academy Awards proved to be no exception.
Sunday night’s Oscars only racked up 17.86 million viewers on ABC and Hulu combined. That 9 percent drop from the 19.69 million recorded last year made the 2026 Oscars the least-viewed Academy Awards shows since 2022.
While the star-studded show had its shining moments, including Hamnet star Jessie Buckley’s touching tribute to her husband, eight month-old daughter, and motherhood, host Conan O’Brien ensured the Oscars didn’t stray from its tired old posturing (“these are very chaotic, frightening times,” said the celebrity with a multi-million dollar net worth) and politicization.
Shortly into his speech, O’Brien used his time on the mic to take a potshot at Turning Point USA and its alternative Super Bowl halftime show.
“I should warn you, tonight could get political. And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate #Oscars hosted by Kid Rock at the Dave & Busters down the street,” O’Brien quipped.
O’Brien’s joke may have landed at the time, but viewership data proves TPUSA ultimately gets the last laugh.
Unlike the Oscars’ floundering following, the first All-American Halftime Show, featuring artists such as Kid Rock and Lee Brice, garnered 25 million views across YouTube and Rumble. TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet noted shortly after the rival Super Bowl show wrapped that there were “a lot of large groups watching together, so the number of viewers is likely far higher.”
The Academy Awards has had nearly a century to establish itself as an essential part of American culture. Instead, the once-popular awards show embraced DEI quotas, hideous fashion, and general unpleasantness which only fueled its rapid descent into obscurity.
TPUSA’s alternative to Bad Bunny’s expletive-laden performance, on the other hand, was pulled together months before the Super Bowl while staff were still grappling with founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The show wasn’t simply a celebration enjoyed by average Americans who don’t fly in private jets or drink $20 smoothies. It also promoted the eternal hope and peace found in the Gospel truth that “there’s a man who died for all our sins hanging from the cross.”
Jordan Boyd is an award-winning staff writer at The Federalist and producer of “The Federalist Radio Hour.” Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.
