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Entertainment & Arts

Alec Baldwin’s MSNBC talk show ‘Up Late’ sinks to new low in ratings

"Up Late With Alec Baldwin" lasted one month. The actor's heady outburst following his two-week suspension from the show (he allegedly used a gay slur while confronting a photographer in New York) resulted in a permanent shutdown.
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“Up Late With Alec Baldwin” lasted one month. The actor’s heady outburst following his two-week suspension from the show (he allegedly used a gay slur while confronting a photographer in New York) resulted in a permanent shutdown.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Emmy-winning "Survivor" host Jeff Probst seems to do much better in the wild than in an arm chair. His aim to feature non-celebrities on "The Jeff Probst Show" didn't snag a following — the show lasted for one season.
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Emmy-winning “Survivor” host Jeff Probst seems to do much better in the wild than in an arm chair. His aim to feature non-celebrities on “The Jeff Probst Show” didn’t snag a following — the show lasted for one season.  (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
"The Ricki Lake Show," Lake's first return to talk TV since 2004, was nixed after one season due to flat ratings. "Always the underdog. From 'Hairspray' till now, I guess. I'll take it," she tweeted after the cancellation news broke.
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“The Ricki Lake Show,” Lake’s first return to talk TV since 2004, was nixed after one season due to flat ratings. “Always the underdog. From ‘Hairspray’ till now, I guess. I’ll take it,” she tweeted after the cancellation news broke.   (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
O'Donnell exited with extreme gratitude to the OWN Network when her show got canceled after one season due to low ratings: "Oprah [Winfrey] gave me an amazing shot at doing this. ... She put me back on TV. She believed in me," she said.
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O’Donnell exited with extreme gratitude to the OWN Network when her show got canceled after one season due to low ratings: “Oprah [Winfrey] gave me an amazing shot at doing this. ... She put me back on TV. She believed in me,” she said.  (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
Warner Bros. Television ceased production on the show due to struggling ratings. Hunt's focus on wholesome humor couldn't compete with shows more interested in the down-and-dirty.
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Warner Bros. Television ceased production on the show due to struggling ratings. Hunt’s focus on wholesome humor couldn’t compete with shows more interested in the down-and-dirty.   (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
While the primary reason for "Tucker's" cancellation after three seasons was low ratings, Carlson stated that his network, MSNBC, had changed, and "they didn't have a role for me."
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While the primary reason for “Tucker’s” cancellation after three seasons was low ratings, Carlson stated that his network, MSNBC, had changed, and “they didn’t have a role for me.”  (Jay Paul / For the Los Angeles Times)
Comedy Central canceled the show six months in after Hughley, who often drank wine and smoked cigars on air with his guests, failed to capture audiences.
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Comedy Central canceled the show six months in after Hughley, who often drank wine and smoked cigars on air with his guests, failed to capture audiences.  (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
The late-night talk show never reached a notable viewership level. Comedy Central pushed the show's time slot later and dropped its live audience before finally canceling it several months later. Carolla was on air for one season.
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The late-night talk show never reached a notable viewership level. Comedy Central pushed the show’s time slot later and dropped its live audience before finally canceling it several months later. Carolla was on air for one season.  (Patrick Downs / Los Angeles Times)
"The Morton Downey Jr. Show" expanded to national syndication in 1988, but distributors had trouble marketing the show to television stations because of its controversial nature. Viewership decline led to cancellation in 1989.
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“The Morton Downey Jr. Show” expanded to national syndication in 1988, but distributors had trouble marketing the show to television stations because of its controversial nature. Viewership decline led to cancellation in 1989.  (Gaylon Wampler / Associated Press)
By Scott Collins

Alec Baldwin is discovering that this talk-show hosting thing is kind of hard.

The former “30 Rock” star and outspoken liberal activist has seen his new MSNBC talk “Up Late” start slow in the ratings last month -- and slump further since.

On Friday, he skidded to fewer than 400,000 total viewers, losing more than two-fifths of his premiere week audience, according to Nielsen. In the core demographic of adults ages 25 to 54, barely 100,000 people tuned in -- a new low.

Perhaps Baldwin should forget trying to be part of the news media and return to battling the media. He seems to enjoy more success there. Or at least get more attention.

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Entertainment & Arts
Scott Collins

Scott Collins is a former staff reporter for the Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times. He joined the staff in 2004 after previous stints at the Hollywood Reporter and Inside.com. Author of the book “Crazy Like a Fox: The Inside Story of How Fox News Beat CNN,” he is a frequent pop-culture expert on national TV, radio shows and industry panels. He left The Times in 2016.

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