Hanks' Joke, Center Debt
Tom Hanks Mocks MSNBC Ratings at Obama Center Opening Amidst Financial Controversy
Key Points
After Hanks joked about “the 800 people watching MSNOW” and told Soboroff to “add a zero,” Jacob Soboroff replied, “I would say millions now that you’re on our air,” later thanking him again: “Soboroff thanked Hanks for ‘adding the zero to our ratings today,’” and Hanks quipped, “I gotta tell ya, I can hear the clicks happening before my very eyes.”
MSNBC anchor Katy Tur followed up with a related joke, saying Hanks “has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past,” and referencing that Hanks donated a “coffee machine to White House reporters in 2017.”
The viewership comparison included specific averages for Q1 2026: MSNBC averaged 691,000 total-day viewers and 1.1 million primetime viewers, compared with Fox News Channel’s 1.7 million total-day viewers and 2.6 million primetime viewers.
On the Obama Center payment dispute, one report said construction companies are reporting the center “owes them amounts ranging from the tens of thousands to multiple millions in unpaid construction fees,” and that many black-owned businesses “face bankruptcy if they don’t get paid soon.”
In additional on-air remarks, Hanks described the ceremony as unusually spiritual, saying, “I feel like I’ve been to the best church on the planet Earth,” adding, “It was so hot that every now and again we had to do this,” and that he “literally tapped my fan on my hat” because he couldn’t keep it down.
At the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on June 18, Tom Hanks delivered an unexpected punchline — live on the air. Speaking with MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff, Hanks quipped, "What can I do for the 800 people watching MSNOW?" and told Soboroff to "add a zero" to the network's viewership. The remark went viral almost instantly, according to New York Post.
MS NOW declined to comment on the joke. But the numbers behind it are real. In Q1 2026, MS NOW averaged just 691,000 total-day viewers — compared with Fox News Channel's 1.7 million — according to Nielsen data cited by AOL.
Hanks Roasts MS NOW and the Network Plays Along
Soboroff tried to laugh it off. "I would say millions now that you're on our air," he told Hanks. Later, he thanked Hanks for "adding the zero to our ratings today." Hanks fired back: "I gotta tell ya, I can hear the clicks happening before my very eyes." Anchor Katy Tur joined in, noting that Hanks "has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past" — a nod to his 2017 coffee machine donation to White House reporters, according to New York Post.
Hanks was otherwise effusive about the ceremony itself. "I feel like I've been to the best church on the planet Earth," he said. He added that the outdoor heat was so intense he "literally tapped my fan on my hat" to keep cool, according to The Gateway Pundit.
MS NOW's Ratings Slide Puts the Joke in Context
The quip landed harder because the numbers are stark. MS NOW — formerly MSNBC, rebranded in 2025 — averaged 1.1 million primetime viewers in Q1 2026. Fox News averaged 2.6 million in the same window. Trust in MS NOW also fell 9% this year, dropping to 35%, while ABC and NBC News held at 44%, according to data cited by AOL.
Conservative outlets called the exchange a "sledgehammer" to the network's credibility, while some liberal commentators framed it as friendly banter from a longtime press ally, according to Twitchy.
Black-Owned Contractors Say the Center Owes Them Millions
Behind the celebrity fanfare, a serious financial dispute is unfolding. Construction firms say the Obama Presidential Center owes them amounts ranging from tens of thousands to nearly $4 million each in unpaid fees. Many of those firms are Black-owned businesses — the very communities the $850 million project was meant to uplift, according to The Gateway Pundit.
Mike Owen, president of Adamson Plumbing, says his firm is owed close to $4 million. He described himself as "cooked emotionally." Omar Shareef of the African American Contractors Association is representing seven subcontractors seeking payment. They warn these firms "face bankruptcy if they don't get paid soon," according to AOL.
A $850 Million Project With a $1 Million Endowment
The center's cost tripled from its original $300 million estimate. The Obama Foundation pledged a $470 million endowment as a financial safety net — but that fund currently holds roughly $1 million, according to The Gateway Pundit. The city of Chicago leased 19.3 acres of public Jackson Park land to the foundation for $10 over 99 years.
The Obama Foundation says it has paid the prime contractor, Lakeside Alliance, in full. It argues that paying subcontractors is Lakeside's responsibility. Lakeside calls the payment disputes "normal" on projects this size. But contractors say constant design changes ordered by the foundation created the debt — and that watching celebrities celebrate at the grand opening felt like an insult, according to AOL.
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