By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Tucker Carlson reached 5.05 million viewers for his Kyle Rittenhouse interview on Monday, the Fox News Channel opinion host's largest audience since the night of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Rittenhouse was acquitted on murder charges last week and Carlson was given the chance for the post-trial interview because of the support he had shown him, according to the 18-year-old's family.
Carlson has averaged 3.16 million viewers on a typical night this year, the Nielsen company said.
ABC News and Diane Sawyer had strong ratings for her Friday night interview with members of a California family held captive for many years by their parents. That "20/20" episode reached more than 7.4 million viewers.
Fox broadcasting was the top-rated network in primetime last week, averaging 5.4 million viewers. NBC had 4.8 million, CBS had 4.5 million, ABC had 4.1 million, Univision had 1.5 million, Telemundo had 1 million and Ion Television had 880,000.
Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable news channel in prime time, averaging 2.89 million viewers. ESPN had 2.31 million, Hallmark had 1.58 million, MSNBC had 1.18 million and HGTV had 893,000.
ABC's "World News Tonight" won the evening news ratings race with an average of 8.3 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 7.2 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 5.4 million.
For the week of Nov. 15-21, the 20 most popular programs in primetime, their networks and viewerships:
1. NFL Football: Pittsburgh at L.A. Chargers, NBC, 14.55 million.
2. NFL Football: New England at Atlanta, Fox, 13.52 million.
3. "The OT," Fox, 11.6 million.
4. "NFL Pregame," NBC, 11.2 million.
5. NFL Football: L.A. Rams at San Francisco, ESPN, 10.7 million.
6. "NFL Pregame," Fox, 8.59 million.
7. "Football Night in America, Part 3," NBC, 8.54 million.
8. "FBI," CBS, 7.61 million.
9. "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.58 million.
10. "Yellowstone," Paramount, 7.42 million.
11. "20/20," ABC, 7.41 million.
12. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 6.95 million.
13. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 6.78 million.
14. "The Equalizer," CBS, 6.59 million.
15. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 6.56 million.
16. "FBI: International," CBS, 5.96 million.
17. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 5.79 million.
18. "Survivor," CBS, 5.77 million.
19. "FBI: Most Wanted," CBS, 5.64 million.
20. "NFL Pregame," ESPN, 5.5 million.
Mitzi Gaynor, star of “South Pacific,” dies at 93
Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of "South Pacific" and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.
Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.
"As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life," Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement. "Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life."
Her entertainment career spanned eight decades across film, television and the stage, and appeared in several notable films including "We're Not Married!" and "There's No Business Like Show Business," but she is best remembered for her turn in "South Pacific."
The screen version of "South Pacific" received three Academy Award nominations and won for best sound, while Gaynor was a best actress nominee for a Golden Globe.
The role of the love-sick nurse Nellie, created on Broadway by Mary Martin, had been eagerly sought by Hollywood stars. Sinatra helped Gaynor land it.
She was starring with him in "The Joker Is Wild," when she had a one-day opportunity to audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the same day she was scheduled for her biggest scene with Sinatra. When she explained her plight, he told her, "Don't worry, I'll change the schedule."
Hammerstein was impressed with Gaynor, who had already won the approval of director Josh Logan and composer Richard... Read More