Tom Hanks made a tongue-in-cheek dig at MS NOW’s viewership during a live TV interview with the network’s correspondent, Jacob Soboroff.
The Oscar-winning Forrest Gump actor, 69, was in attendance at Thursday’s dedication ceremony for the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois, when he was approached by Soboroff.
“It’s great to see you,” the journalist said, as Hanks asked, “What can I do for the 800 people watching MS NOW?”
Introducing himself, Soboroff responded: “Oh, come on,” notifying Hanks that “we are live on MS NOW.”
“Alright, add a zero to it if you need to,” the Toy Story star quipped, to which Soboroff replied: “I would say millions now that you’re on our air.”
The pair went on to discuss former President Barack Obama’s new presidential museum, which officially opened Thursday, five years after breaking ground in 2021.
The star-studded, invite-only event gathered former Presidents Biden, Bush and Clinton, along with former First Ladies Jill Biden, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton, as well as performing artists Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, The Roots, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend and Marc Anthony.
At the end of their conversation, 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 laughed.
Despite Hanks’s comments, MS NOW (previously MSNBC) averaged 691,000 total day viewers and 1.1 million primetime viewers in the first quarter of 2026.
Back in the studio, anchor Katy Tur also thanked Hanks, appearing amused by his remarks.
“All right, thanks, Tom. Appreciate that,” she said. “He has been very supportive of the press, at least in the past.”
In 2017, the Saving Private Ryan actor gifted a fancy espresso machine to the White House Press Corps in appreciation of their work.
“Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially for the Truth Part,” Hanks said in a typewritten note, alongside a drawing of wounded soldiers captioned: “Fresh, spirited American troops, flushed with victory, are bringing in thousands of hungry, ragged, battle-weary prisoners.”
He later explained his generous donation — part of a personal tradition that dates back to 2004 — during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“I’ve done that for Democrats and Republican administrations because those poor b****es need coffee,” Hanks declared.
“I think this president might be keeping them up anyway,” he continued. “I have a feeling the problem now is there’s an awful lot of spit coffee on people’s laps.”
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