Hollywood’s "nicest guy" is proving he has a sharp side when it comes to cable news ratings.
Legendary actor Tom Hanks took a hilarious, unscripted swipe at left-leaning network MS NOW during a live broadcast on Thursday. The unexpected roast occurred at the grand opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, leaving a correspondent temporarily red-faced on national television.
Hanks, who was attending the opening ceremonies for the former president’s library and museum, was approached by MS NOW correspondent Jacob Soboroff for an impromptu chat. Without skipping a beat, the Forrest Gump star launched a quick-witted zinger at the expense of the struggling network.
“What can I do for the $800$ people watching MS NOW?” Hanks asked with a grin.
Soboroff, caught off guard but trying to roll with the punches, immediately defended his network. “Oh, come on. We're live on MS NOW,” the reporter replied.
But Hanks wasn't done. The two-time Academy Award winner doubled down on his comedic attack, deadpanning a second burn.
“All right, add a zero to it if you need to,” Hanks quipped, sarcastically bumping the hypothetical viewership up to a measly $8{,}000$.
😬 Tom Hanks took a major shot at MS Now's ratings during an on-camera interview with one of the station's correspondents.
Credit: MSNOW pic.twitter.com/dPZXpR0dTf
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 19, 2026
Soboroff insisted that the network's numbers were skyrocketing simply because of the movie star's presence. “I would say millions now that you’re on our air,” the correspondent countered.
The two briefly pivoted to discuss the impressive setup of the new presidential center, which Hanks enthusiastically praised. However, as the interview wrapped up, Soboroff couldn't resist circling back to the ratings dig.
“Thanks for adding the zero to our ratings today,” Soboroff told the actor.
Leaning back into the frame, Hanks delivered one final parting shot. “I gotta tell ya, I can hear the clicks happening before my very eyes,” Hanks said before walking away from the camera.
Back in the studio, anchor Katy Tur tried to laugh off the brutal exchange. “All right, thanks, Tom. Appreciate that,” Tur said with a smile. She quickly attempted to mitigate the burn by highlighting the actor’s history of friendly relations with journalists. “He has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past,” she added, referencing Hanks' famous gesture of donating espresso machines to the White House press corps.
The unexpected viral moment comes as MS NOW continues to find its footing after a massive corporate shakeup. Formerly known as MSNBC, the left-wing channel underwent a major rebranding to MS NOW in late $2025$. The pivot occurred after parent company Comcast prepared to spin off its cable networks into a separate company called Versant, forcing the channel to officially part ways with NBC News.
While Hanks’ low-ball estimate was obviously meant as a joke, the network's ratings struggle is a very real headache for executives. In the first quarter of $2026$, MS NOW averaged $691{,}000$ total-day viewers and $1.1\text{ million}$ primetime viewers. By comparison, Fox News dominated the landscape, drawing a commanding $1.7\text{ million}$ average total-day viewers and $2.6\text{ million}$ in primetime.
The Hanks family is no stranger to generating viral, politically charged headlines. The actor's son, Chet Hanks, sparked massive cultural conversations in $2021$ with the release of his tongue-in-cheek "White Boy Summer" anthem, which featured him rapping in Jamaican patois. Chet later defended the track during a $2022$ appearance with comedian Ziwe Fumudoh, insisting he didn't believe he had done "anything offensive."
However, this time it was "America's Dad" himself grabbing the internet's attention—proving that when it comes to defending their ratings, liberal media outlets still have a long way to go to win back the public.