If Sunday’s Academy Awards program gets political, expect a supermajority of Trump-voting viewers to reach for the clicker, according to a new poll commissioned by The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
“The survey — conducted by the National Research Group, which in early February canvassed 800 people (half Hillary Clinton supporters, half Donald Trump voters) … reveals that two-thirds of Trumpsters have turned off their TV sets because of an actor giving a political speech at the podium, compared to just 19 percent of Clinton voters,” THR said Wednesday, reporting results of the survey.
Democrats surveyed apparently said they actually want more political activism at the annual awards show, although both sides of the aisle largely agreed that those speeches aren’t all that persuasive.
“Only about a quarter of respondents on both sides of the political fence said their opinion about an issue has ever been changed by an awards show,” THR said.
The Grammy Awards, which aired on Sunday, Feb. 12, featured various musicians taking swipes at President Trump, including rap group A Tribe Called Quest denouncing Mr. Trump with the derisive nickname “Agent Orange.”
Hosted by late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, the 89th Academy Awards will be televised Sunday on ABC at 8:30 p.m. and livestreamed at ABC.com and via the ABC app. ABC will also feature a red-carpet special at 7 p.m.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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