Fox News host Laura Ingraham has taken over this year as the most-watched female cable news host.
The host of The Ingraham Angle at 10 p.m. on weeknights since October 2017 has experienced a large boost in ratings in 2020, and it has propelled her past other female hosts, including MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who had been the most-watched.
Every single month since December 2019, Ingraham has beaten Maddow in nightly audience size, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, during that same time frame, Ingraham’s monthly ratings never dropped below 3 million viewers a night, which is a marker she had never topped prior to this stretch. Ingraham similarly topped Maddow in the key 25-54 age demographic, which is coveted by advertisers, during the same time.
Ingraham espouses opinions that are usually opposed to those of Maddow, a liberal who often dedicates her show to criticizing President Trump and his administration.
Maddow’s nightly audiences beat out those drawn in by Ingraham for much of 2017-2019, which covered a period that included the Trump-Russia investigation and the Trump impeachment fight. But Ingraham’s ratings have skyrocketed this year, as have the other prime-time hosts at Fox News.
The divide between Ingraham and Maddow was particularly prominent in the first three months of the year when Ingraham eclipsed 3 million nightly viewers, but Maddow never did.
Maddow has since bounced back with average audience sizes ranging from 3.01 million-3.3 million viewers but still trails. Ingraham beat out Maddow in July by less than 100,000 average viewers, which is the closest Maddow has been to Ingraham since she last led the Fox News host in November.
“I am so proud to be working with this Ingraham Angle team of talented producers, technical directors, and editors,” Ingraham told the Washington Examiner.
“We are all grateful to our sponsors and our loyal viewers, who trust us to analyze our politics and culture during these challenging and exciting times. What we’ve been able to do at 10 o’clock is truly remarkable, and the record ratings are humbling,” she added. “Resting on our laurels is something we don’t do, however, so it’s onward and upward!”
CNN doesn’t have a female host in its prime-time lineup. MSNBC recently added Joy Reid, who hosts The ReidOut, which drew in 2.6 million viewers in its premiere episode.
Ingraham’s coverage this year has focused on the upcoming election and the pandemic, along with the news of the day. She has repeatedly questioned the doctors and leaders of the country who are navigating the country through the pandemic.
