US Politics
Liberal podcaster points to Bad Bunny, South Park and Kimmel’s ratings as evidence ‘woke is good for business’
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A liberal podcaster and political analyst has declared that “woke is good for business,” after pointing to recent moments in popular culture.
“The reason the N.F.L. picked Bad Bunny is the same reason that Jimmy Kimmel’s first show after his suspension had huge viewership, that ‘South Park’ is having its best ratings in years, and that Target’s sales are off since it dropped its D.E.I. efforts,” Molly Jong-Fast wrote.
“Let’s face it: Woke is good for business.”
In her Saturday opinion piece for The New York Times, Jong-Fast, who hosts the “Fast Politics” podcast, wrote that such events were calculated and could be a lesson for Democrats amid the ongoing government shutdown to be more “defiant” in their opposition.
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The recent announcement by the NFL that Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, would be performing at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show sparked outrage among conservatives, including prominent MAGA figures.
The Puerto Rican rapper and singer was labeled a “massive Trump hater,” an “anti-ICE activist,” and slammed for having “no songs in English” by some of President Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters.
His momentum has only grown, having also been announced as the first host of the latest series of Saturday Night Live!, which began on October 4. Ocasio joked that “everyone” is happy that he had been picked, and ended his monologue – spoken partly in Spanish – by saying “if you didn’t understand now what I just said, you have four months to learn!”
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Last month, the ratings for Jimmy Kimmel Live! Saw an enormous surge after the talk show host was briefly suspended over “ill-timed” comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel’s return following his suspension was watched by 6.3 million viewers — more than tripling its normal TV viewership. Previously, the show averaged approximately 1.77 million viewers during the second quarter of this year.
Before Kimmel returned, big names in Hollywood and politics — like former President Barack Obama — quickly condemned his show’s suspension and raised questions about free speech.
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Likewise, ratings for the 27th season of South Park have also seen massive increases, driven by the irreverent attacks on Donald Trump, JD Vance, and other members of the administration.
According to data from Nielsen and Comedy Central, the second episode of the show, which aired on August 6, was watched by 6.2 million people across both cable networks and Paramount+ in the first three days following its initial broadcast.
The figure is 49 percent higher than the first three days for the season premiere, which debuted July 23. The second episode drew 1.56 million viewers on Comedy Central, marking the highest-rated episode since 2018, according to The Los Angeles Times.