Tom Hanks took an unexpected jab at MS NOW while attending the ceremonial opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on Thursday.
The 69-year-old actor was approached shortly after arriving at the event.
MS NOW senior national and political correspondent Jacob Soboroff was livestreaming when he moved in to speak with Hanks.
“Great to see you,” Soboroff said as he tried to catch the Oscar winner’s attention.
Hanks initially seemed occupied, but after a bit of gentle prompting, he turned to acknowledge the reporter.
Breaking the moment with a dry one-liner, Hanks replied: “What can I do for the 800 people watching MS NOW?” — a clear dig at the network’s struggling audience numbers.
‘Oh, come on. We’re live on MS NOW,’ Soboroff said, putting his hand on Hanks’ shoulder before offering a smile.
‘All right – add a zero to it,’ Hanks said in a dead-pan tone.
Tom Hanks, 69, found himself met with a reporter from the network shortly after arriving. MS NOW Senior National and Political Correspondent Jacob Soboroff was streaming live
‘Great to see you,’ Soboroff said, eagerly attempting to get Hanks’ attention. The actor appeared busy, but acknowledged Soboroff after some pestering. He quipped: ‘What can I do for the 800 people watching MS NOW?’ – a nod to the network’s waning viewership
Soboroff shot back: ‘I would say millions now that you’re on our air.’
‘All right. All right,’ Hanks said tentatively, before fielding some questions from Soboroff about the event.
The moment was quickly clipped and received hundreds of thousands of views.
The Daily Mail has approached MS NOW for comment.
Like other linear networks, the progressive cable channel has shed a large amount of viewers over the years, despite a recent period of growth under President Rebecca Kutler, who assumed the position in February of last year.
MS NOW is now averaging roughly 900,000 total viewers – down from a more than 1.1 million average recorded in 2016.
As cord cutting continues, the network was renamed from MSNBC in November – part of a corporate restructuring effort by former parent company Comcast to address dips on its share price.
The 43rd president’s library hosted its opening ceremony on Thursday morning at the massive Jackson Park building in the city’s south side , where Michelle Obama grew up, and where the couple settled before he entered the White House in 2009
The event, included A-lister such as John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen, former late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Steven Spielberg, and former fashion model Jill Vedder, among others
The network is now under the ownership of Versant, a media company devoted almost entirely to domestic cable networks.
Other networks under its umbrella include CNBC, Golf Channel, E!, Syfy, and Oxygen, all of which previously belonged to Comcast.
The 43rd president’s library hosted its opening ceremony on Thursday morning at the massive Jackson Park building in the city’s South Side.
The campus, which officially opens its doors to the public on Friday, was flooded with prominent political figures and celebrities as a boatload of festivities kicked off to celebrate the big day.
A-listers swarmed the event, including John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen, former late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Steven Spielberg and former fashion model Jill Vedder, among others.
The campus, which officially opens its doors to the public on Friday, was flooded with prominent political figures and celebrities as a boatload of festivities kicked off to celebrate the big day
The Obama Center project plans were made public in May 2017 and originally projected to be completed by 2021.
But the COVID-19 pandemic sparked delays, along with the expansion of the center’s original plans.
The campus itself sits on 19 acres of land and includes a public park, museum, library, ample green space, and an NBA regulation-size basketball court.
Approximately $850 million went into building the center, making it the most expensive presidential library in US history.
