Monday, May 25, 2026

TV Ratings: “American Idol” Down 22 Percent Despite Royal Visit from Aretha Franklin

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Aretha Franklin opened last night’s “American Idol” live from Detroit, and she should have stayed for the whole hour. Despite the royal blessing from the Queen of Soul, “Idol” slipped 22 percent from last week, finishing with a 2.1 in the key demo and just 8.75 million total viewers. Wednesdays are usually Idol’s good day, too. Last night’s show featured the 8 top male singers. Tonight it’s the 8 top female singers.

And Miss Franklin? That voice. Wow. She sang loops around “I Will Survive” and she looked great. Rock on Aretha! Aretha is on the road this month, playing shows in Newark and Bridgeport. Plus she celebrates her birthday in style, as usual, on March 25th!

photo c2015 Showbiz411

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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