Former Insiders Chris Cillizza and Oliver Darcy Don’t Hold Back on Network’s “Disastrous” Numbers – And Question Its Soft Stance on Trump
Well, folks, it seems CNN’s ratings have hit a new low, so low in fact, that even its former employees are having a chuckle—or perhaps a commiserating cry—at the network’s expense. Political pundit Chris Cillizza and media guru Oliver Darcy, both formerly of CNN, aren’t exactly sugarcoating things when it comes to the network’s recent viewership struggles. In fact, they’ve gone straight to “disastrously bad.”
According to the number crunchers at AdWeek, July 2025 wasn’t exactly a banner month for CNN. They limped along with an average of just 498,000 primetime viewers and a paltry 361,000 total-day viewers. To put that in perspective, while CNN was seemingly playing to an empty room, MSNBC was pulling in 865,000 primetime viewers, and Fox News was practically throwing a party with 2.41 million primetime viewers. Ouch.
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Cillizza, ever the direct one, hopped on X to amplify Darcy’s observations from his “Status” newsletter. Darcy, who’s apparently decided to depart CNN in August 2024 (maybe he saw the writing on the wall, or, you know, the lack of viewers), hasn’t been shy about pointing fingers.
On the “Sanity” podcast in July, Darcy didn’t just lament the numbers; he threw some shade at CNN executives. His take? The network’s “softer” approach to President Donald Trump and its “sloppy attempts” at digital growth are about as effective as bringing a spoon to a knife fight.
“This is actually a very worrisome time in American politics and democracy,” Darcy said, adding, “And Donald Trump is assaulting pretty much every tenet of this country… And so is it the time to be, I don’t know, more moderate in your tone? I don’t know, I would disagree.” Sounds like he’s not buying the “turn the other cheek” strategy.
And just to really twist the knife, former CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota, who’s been gone since December 2024, chimed in on the same podcast, agreeing that CNN’s efforts to boost its numbers have been, shall we say, less than stellar since her departure. It seems the old gang is really letting loose now that they’re off the payroll.
These abysmal July figures aren’t a fluke. The second quarter of 2025 saw CNN’s total viewership drop a whopping 13% compared to the previous year. You know things are tough when your own history is beating you.
CNN’s ratings have been on a bit of a downward spiral for a while now, hitting rock bottom in May 2024 with their lowest primetime viewership since 1991. For now, it seems the former staffers are having the last laugh, albeit a slightly painful one.
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