CNN's New Year's Eve show is usually a blast, and while last year people were talking about John Mayer in Tokyo with cats, it looks like comedian Whitney Cummings will be the hot topic around the water cooler this week. As we kick off the 2025 TV schedule, Cummings didn't hold back, throwing out a roast that called out CNN's ratings--literally while she was on the network.
Apparently, Andy Cohen calling out Ryan Seacrest isn't the spiciest thing that can happen on the CNN New Year's Eve broadcast, which has a long history of going off the rails at some point each year. Whitney Cummings was a part of the broadcast and even did a "Roast of 2024," but it's possible the network and the show's producers didn't expect her to take a jab at its viewership. Here's what she said (via @CNViolations):
I’m playing bigger and bigger venues now. I thought being a mom would mean that less people would want to come see me. I’m now playing like 3,000 seat theaters, which is about the viewership of CNN these days. Not this show though. All eyes are on this show!
That's a sick burn to CNN, and even worse, she made it on a night when their viewership is likely much higher than it usually is. While I'm guessing producers and executives at the network weren't exactly thrilled with the comment, Cummings was invited to the celebration to act as a roast comic. On the other hand, even if anyone was mildly upset at the network about the comment, they had to expect she'd take a shot or two at them, given her job as a comedian.
Really, CNN should be used to this type of snark from its on-air personalities. Whether it was Andy Cohen calling out an X user in 2022 or Don Lemon making an inappropriate comment about Kathy Griffin way back in 2016, this program has a history of dicey comments that normally wouldn't fly on the air.
That being said, I'm sure her jab stung at least a little bit. Both MSNBC and CNN have had a lot of struggles since election night. The Washington Post recently did an entire write-up on the network's ratings issues, and Yahoo recently ran a story calling out the network's ratings issues and predicting possible layoffs.
Fortunately, a little sting isn't the worst thing in the world. It seems everyone is in the holiday spirit and a little more forgiving when it comes to New Year's Eve. I mean, if Roy Woods Jr. could get away with making a joke about former anchor Don Lemon's firing (via Mediaite), then I would say that jokes about ratings and the like are going to slide underneath the radar in comparison.
That said, the bar is set for 2025's New Year's Eve party later this year, so maybe Whitney Cummings can up the ante if she's invited back next year. I know that I'd love to see her back, as the program is always better with a few comedians mixed in.
CinemaBlend is ringing in the new year by keeping an eye on all the shows returning to television with new episodes and keeping an eye out for upcoming 2025 movies on the way as well. Additionally, we'll see if CNN and Cummings enter a feud after her comments or if this was just a silly remark taken as the roast joke it was meant to be.
