Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks took a jab at MS NOW’s ratings while he appeared live on the network Thursday.
Hanks was spotted at the opening celebration of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, where MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff asked if the “Forrest Gump” star had a moment to talk.
“What can I do for the 800 people watching MS NOW?” Hanks quipped in the now-viral exchange.
Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks roasted MS NOW’s ratings while appearing in a live interview with a reporter from the network. REUTERS
Hanks doubled down on his comment as Soboroff appeared taken aback and laughed off the remark.
“Alright, add a zero if you need to,” he said.
“I would say millions now that you’re on our air,” Soboroff responded.
After the pair discussed President Barack Obama’s new presidential library, Soboroff thanked Hanks for “adding the zero to our ratings today.”
“I gotta tell ya, I can hear the clicks happening before my very eyes,” Hanks responded before walking away.
Hanks spoke with MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff when he told him, “What can I do for the 800 people watching MSNOW?” REUTERS
Back in the studio, anchor Katy Tur appeared amused by the exchange.
“Alright, thanks, Tom. Appreciate that,” Tur said with a grin.
“He has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past,” she added, referencing the coffee machine Hanks donated to the White House press corps in 2017.
Hanks’ joke understated the network’s audience. The left-leaning MS NOW averaged 691,000 total-day viewers and 1.1 million primetime viewers during the first quarter of 2026.
The actor was among a long list of celebrities and political figures attending the launch of the $850 million Obama Presidential Center, including Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Tyler Perry, Bruce Springsteen and Oprah Winfrey.
Former Presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris, also attended.
Speaking about the center, Hanks praised former President Barack Obama’s remarks at the event.
“He said something beautiful today that this is not about nostalgia, or a magic time where ‘Oh gosh we solved all the problems in the world,'” Hanks told MS NOW.
“‘A black man was finally in the White House — this is not about that. This is about the work that continues every day.’ I want to get transcripts of that and read them to my kids.”
The Obama Presidential Center sits on a 19-acre campus in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park. It features a museum of democracy, a library, a Women’s Garden honoring female leaders, a wetland walking path and an NBA regulation-size basketball court.
The campus opens Friday on Juneteenth after more than a decade of planning and construction.
Hank’s friendship with Obama extends back to 2008, when the “Saving Private Ryan” actor endorsed the then-Illinois senator for president.
In 2016, Obama awarded Hanks the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House.
Hanks also narrated the 2012 documentary “The Road We’ve Traveled,” which documented Obama’s presidency.
With Post wires
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