“The Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis” drew 3.2 million total viewers across multiple Viacom platforms Sunday, which makes it more-watched than the roasts of Roseanne Barr (2012), James Franco (2013), Rob Lowe (2016), Bob Saget (2008) and Joan Rivers (2009).
Willis’ basic-cable thrashing did not top the respective audiences for Charlie Sheen (2011), Jeff Foxworthy (2005), Justin Bieber (2015), Pamela Anderson (2005), Larry the Cable Guy (2009), Flavor Flav (2007), William Shatner (2006), David Hasselhoff (2010), Donald Trump (2011) and Denis Leary (2003).
See how each of those did here.
Sunday’s all-in sum, which had the benefit of a simulcast and a re-air, brought in 17 percent more overall audience members than Lowe’s roast, which was the last one Comedy Central did. Among adults 18-49, last night’s special grew 21 percent from the “Code Black” star’s.
On Comedy Central alone, Willis performed 23 percent better in the advertiser-coveted demographic than Lowe had on Labor Day 2016.
The “Die Hard” star’s turn was big on social, as ad-supported cable’s top entertainment program on Twitter, with #BruceWillisRoast trending at the very top. The special reached 15 million people on Facebook.
Sunday’s simulcast included MTV, VH1 and BET. It re-ran once last night, and just on Comedy Central.
Immediately after the “Roast of Bruce Willis” debut, the Season 3 start for “Jeff Ross Presents: Roast Battle” scored an all-time high of 810,000 viewers, up 63 percent compared to the prior season premiere and marking Comedy Central’s highest-rated season premiere of 2018.