CNN’s star-studded town hall featuring Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey has not resonated with viewers, as evidenced by disappointing ratings, industry experts and Nielsen Media Research data reveal.

Despite substantial promotional efforts, the event attracted a mere 453,000 viewers, with only 57,000 in the key demographic of 25 to 54-year-olds, according to Nielsen’s findings.

In contrast, a standard episode of The Big Weekend Show on the same day drew more than double that number, highlighting the disparity in audience engagement.

Moreover, CNN captured just 30,000 viewers in the 18 to 49 age group, significantly trailing behind Fox’s 71,000 in the same category.

The overall viewer gap was stark, as Fox News outperformed its competitor by over 1.2 million viewers, marking a nearly 300 percent advantage.

This program aired on CNN Saturday at 7pm, a scheduling choice criticized by a source within the industry, as reported by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.

‘CNN’s ratings problem is indicative of a larger management issue – you have two of Hollywood’s biggest names sitting down for a town hall and you air it on Saturday at 7 PM? Were they purposely trying to bury this?’ the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

‘There is no strategy, an utter lack of leadership and zero vision. What an embarrassment for Chalamet and McConaughey.’

CNN’s highly publicized town hall event with Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey Saturday has surfaced as a ratings flop

The style of programming from CEO Mark Thompson is not based in news 

CNN, moreover, has lost nearly two-thirds of its primetime viewers in the past 10 years, the Mail previously reported.

The recent ratings slip-up is therefore all the more unwelcome, at a time where the network is admittedly experimenting.

‘If two of Hollywood’s stars can’t drive an audience for CNN, it raises serious questions about the strength and future of the network,’ the Mail’s source said.

‘CNN still hasn’t figured out its chronically low ratings problem.’

Rob Shuter, a veteran media columnist and author of the Naughty But Nice Substack, agreed with the assessment. 

‘Putting Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey on at 7 pm on a Saturday is like throwing a premiere and forgetting to send the invites,’ Shuter, a former executive editor at OK!, said.

‘When two of Hollywood’s brightest stars can’t deliver even half a million viewers, the problem isn’t celebrity – it’s the channel.

‘These numbers aren’t just disappointing. They’re alarming. You don’t heavily promote a town hall and then post 57,000 in the key demo,’ he said.

The heavily promoted special with in-demand actor Chalamet drew just 453,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. ‘CNN still hasn’t figured out its chronically low ratings problem,’ a source said 

Even the presence of Oscar-winning McConaughey did not help move the needle. An industry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the actor must be ’embarrase[d]’

The ‘demo’ of course is the highly coveted 25 to 54 demographic – one perpetually important to advertisers due to its spending power. 

‘CNN didn’t stage an event – they staged a shrug,’ Shuter said.

‘If this was meant to reset CNN’s cultural relevance, it did the opposite. It highlighted how disconnected the network is from audience behavior.’   

‘CNN seems to think star power is a strategy. It’s not. It’s an accessory.

‘The bigger question isn’t whether this was a flop – it’s whether CNN understands what kind of network it wants to be anymore.’  

As Shuter indicated, the network carried out a round of layoffs to start 2025 and herald in its long-promised move to digital. 

The long-in-the-works restructuring plan followed a failed leadership stint from former Stephen Colbert showrunner Chris Licht, which lasted barely a year.

Licht replaced longtime lead Jeff Zucker, after the latter masterminded the network’s shift to more opinionated content in the 2010s right around the time of Donald Trump’s first presidency.

For reference, a regular airing of The Big Weekend Show secured more than twice that on Saturday

George Clooney already sat for an interview with CNN ‘s Anderson Cooper last year, when the network aired his Broadway play Good Night, and Good Luck

The network has so far failed to capitalize on the conservative’s second term, though, after a reported ‘tone-down’ in anti-Trump commentary called by CEO Mark Thompson.

The network’s website still attracts 120million monthly users, as it starts to implement more vertical videos and non-news content.

The network launched a little-known comedic panel show called Have I Got News For You back in 2024, for instance, adapted from a popular British program. 

The network also televised a Broadway rendition of Good Night, and Good Luck, featuring George Clooney.

The Chalamet and McConaughey sitdown – which lasted about an hour – is part of on ongoing partnership between CNN and Variety started last year.

The series, known as Actors on Actors, was initially started by Variety in 2014.

CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is also up for sale. The company has denied rumors that CNN is up for sale as well. If Warner is sold, the cable channel will be cast off to a newly created company.

As for the A-listers caught up in the mess, Shuter said, ‘This won’t hurt Chalamet or McConaughey one bit. They sell movie tickets and streaming subscriptions – not cable news at 7pm.’

Shuter has appeared on Today, GMA, Rachael Ray, Wendy Williams, and CNN, and has a book available for pre-order on Amazon.

A CNN spokesperson, meanwhile, shot down claims the program was a flop, saying in statement: ‘The Town Hall reached more than 8 million people globally and was a huge success. 

‘The clips were everywhere. People all around the world consume content in a multitude of ways, and that’s how this was programmed. 

‘It’s antiquated to only look at cable TV ratings when this was streamed and put on YouTube as well, and the total audience was significant.’