Ratings for the MTV Movie & TV Awards shot up this year even as many other such televised ceremonies have suffered recently. Notably absent from Sunday night’s event was the long anti-Trump screeds and liberal political harangues seen in similar awards shows — not to mention star Chris Pratt’s heartfelt speech about God’s grace.
Monday night’s telecast of the awards show saw a 21 percent bump over last year’s score, bringing in some 3.371 million viewers, Variety reported. The broadcast also saw a 20 percent jump in the important 18 to 34 demo with a 2.39 rating, as well as a jump of 21 percent in the coveted 18 to 49 demo.
Viewers also increasingly chose either VH1 or MTV to watch the awards. The two Viacom-owned networks reportedly enjoyed a 37 percent bump over last year’s numbers. The 18-34 demo also saw a 30 percent growth rate while the 18-49 demo hit an even more impressive 35 percent jump.
The seven other channels upon which the ceremony aired also saw a spike in numbers. The show was up 27 percent in total viewers, 21 percent in the 18-34 demo, and 25 percent in the 18-49 grouping.
Host and rising star Tiffany Haddish was a treat as this year’s MC. Haddish earned praise for her performance and was a timely pick coming off her stint in the raunchy hit comedy Girls Trip.
Haddish’s clever spoof of Marvel’s hit movie Black Panther was particularly well received.
But the night was also marked by something that did not appear on stage: the constant, hate-filled rants against President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and their voters.
Indeed, the night was blessed with a complete turn away from the usual Hollywood award show hate fest when Generation Award-winner and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star Chris Pratt thanked God and reminded the audience of God’s grace during the amusing and heartfelt acceptance speech he entitled, “Nine rules from Chris Pratt.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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