Kim Kardashian's SNL Appearance Had This Surprising Effect On Ratings
Ahead of Kim Kardashian's hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live," she was widely ridiculed, since, well, the reality star was definitely an unconventional choice. Debra Messing even took exception with the notion of the SKIMS creator stepping into the role, tweeting, "Why Kim Kardashian? I mean, I know she is a cultural icon, but SNL has hosts, generally, who are performers who are there to promote a film, TV show, or album launch. Am I missing something?" (via ET Online).
The mom of four even poked fun at herself in her opening monologue, telling the live audience, "I'm surprised to see me here, too" (via YouTube).
But then something funny happened: Kardashian kinda crushed it, with many viewers taking to Twitter post-show to say as much. "The people who say Kim Kardashian has no talent have been awful quiet since she hosted snl," opined one person.
"Kim is surprisingly good," another viewer tweeted in part, while another person noted, "Kim Kardashian as the host of SNL is actually pretty brilliant. People were mortified during the announcement but it turned out to be a hilarious episode!" And capturing the sentiments of many on Twitter, someone else said, "Kim Kardashian was funny. I wasn't expecting that."
It turns out the ratings for "Saturday Night Live" reflected the opinions of Twitter users.
Kim Kardashian's hosting gig was a major boon for "SNL"
As Fox News reports, Kim Kardashian stepping up to host "SNL" lended the show a much-needed boost in ratings. Consider that when the season premiered featuring host Owen Wilson, only 4.9 million people tuned in. Seven percent more eyeballs fixated on the reality star's turn on the comedy sketch program, with her episode earning 5.2 million viewers.
Kardashian's episode also saw a ratings swell in the 25-54 and 18-49 age demographics, Fox News reports. Of course, the star of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" boasts one of the biggest social media followings in the world, with 258 million Instagram followers, and over 70 million Twitter followers.
Only her sister, Kylie Jenner, and Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, The Rock, and Cristiano Ronaldo have more Instagram followers (via Statista). Over on Twitter, Kardashian is also one of the most followed accounts, behind Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Demi Lovato, among a handful of others (via BrandWatch).
So, will "SNL" be looking to social media followings to select upcoming hosts? Only time will tell. For now, we know that actor Rami Malek has a tough act to follow this upcoming weekend when he hosts the show (via Parade).