Ratings Crash: Taylor Swift Headlined American Music Awards Hit All-Time Low

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Taylor Swift performs onstage during the 2018 American Music
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Justin Caruso

Pop star turned Democratic activist Taylor Swift headlined the American Music Awards Tuesday night, and the ratings dropped to a new all-time low.

The Wrap reports that ratings for the American Music Awards telecast fell to “a new record low in TV ratings,” even lower than the previously record-holders for the lowest rated AMAs in 2017 and 2016.

Taylor Swift, who opened the night with a performance and won the “Artist of the Year” award, recently dove into politics, endorsing two Democratic candidates in Tennessee. At the AMAs Tuesday, Swift urged her fans to “get out and vote.”

“This award and every single award given out tonight were voted on by the people, and you know what else is voted on by the people?” Swift said. “It is the midterm elections on November 6. Get out and vote. I love you guys.”

Comedian Billy Eichner also urged young people to vote in the midterms at the AMAs last night, calling it “the biggest election of our lifetime” and saying that if you believe in women’s equality and climate change, you must vote.

In a recent Instagram post, Swift wrote she believes “in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.”

View this post on Instagram

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on

The Blank Space singer also blasted the “terrifying, sickening and prevalent” kinds of “systemic racism” that exist in America.

“I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love,” Swift wrote. “Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.”

Trump responded to the 28-year-old’s political endorsement by joking, “Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now.”

The AMAs abysmal ratings follows the trend of many politicized award shows in 2018 posting embarrassing ratings.

September’s Emmy Awards fell to an all-time low in the ratings. The MTV Video Music Awards also posted all-time low ratings, as did the Oscars.

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