Tom Hanks jokes about MS NOW’s low ratings at Obama Center opening
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Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks came out of left field to poke fun at MS NOW live on Thursday.
MS NOW reporter Jacob Soboroff was reporting live from the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where some of the biggest names in politics and entertainment gathered to kick off the opening of former President Barack Obama’s library and museum.
Soboroff glanced at the “Forrest Gump” star, who was busy chatting with other attendees but eventually offered the reporter time.
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Tom Hanks jokingly pans MS NOW’s viewers as he appears live on the channel attending the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday. (Screenshot/MS NOW)
“What can I do for the 800 people who watch MSNOW?” Hanks asked Soboroff.
Hanks then said, “Okay, add zeros if necessary.”
Soboroff didn’t take the joke seriously, responding: “I’d say millions now that you’re on the air.”
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MSNBC announced last year that it would be rebranding as “MS NOW” following its official separation from NBC News. (Versant)
After the two discussed the Obama Presidential Center, Soboroff thanked Hanks for “adding the zero to our grades today.”
“I gotta tell you, I can hear the clicks happening right in front of my eyes,” Hanks joked before walking away.
Soboroff then turned to MS NOW host Katy Tur and seemed to enjoy the conversation.
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“Well, thank you, Tom. I appreciate that,” Tur replied with a grin.
“He’s been very supportive of the press, at least in the past,” Tur playfully added, before mentioning the coffee machine Hanks donated to White House reporters in 2017.
A representative for MS NOW declined to comment.
Tom Hanks was among the many prominent guests who attended the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. (Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
Hanks brazenly underestimated MS NOW’s viewership in the first quarter of 2026, which averaged 691,000 daily viewers and 1.1 million prime time viewers. But the liberal network lagged behind Fox News Channel’s average of 1.7 million total daily viewers and 2.6 million prime time viewers during the same period.
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