14 DAY TRIAL // For the first time since his marriage to Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock went into crisis, Jesse James opened up in front of the cameras in an interview with ABC’s Nightline. Addressing questions ranging from James’ infidelity to the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his father, and how he planned on moving on with his life post-divorce, the interview ranked in monster ratings, TV by the Numbers informs.
Of course, preceding hype ensured solid ratings but even with this considered, the program managed to perform well beyond even the most positive expectations. According to figures made available, Nightline scored its best ratings in 7 years, even managing to surpass strong performers like Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. The finale of Dancing With the Stars also pushed ABC to the top position in ratings this week.
“ABC News Nightline’s time period performance posted its highest total viewership since the program’s re-launch in 2005 according to Nielsen fast affiliate time period data for Tuesday, May 25, 2010. Featuring an exclusive interview with Jesse James, Nightline’s time period performance was 6.817 million Total Viewers, which marks the program’s highest Total Viewer delivery for a single night since March 21, 2003. Nightline’s time period performance posted a 2.29 rating in Adults 25-54 and a 1.70 rating among A18-49. In comparison, NBC’s Tonight Show time period performance was 3.692 million Total Viewers, 1.43 rating among Adults 25-54, and 1.09 rating among Adults 18-49. The time period performance for CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman was 3.454 million Total Viewers, 1.21 rating among A25-54, and .91 rating for A18-49,” TV by the Numbers reports.
We also informed you on several occasions this week that the interview managed to cause serious waves both in the media and with James’ family because of the claims he made while the cameras were rolling. Not only did he admit to being unfaithful, but he also said that all his problems in his adult life stem from being physically abused by his father when he was just a child. His sister has already stepped forward to corroborate the story and say that, indeed, their father would often beat them without the slightest provocation.
Jesse’s step mother, though, insists that both he and his sister are lying, since their father never laid a hand on them. Moreover, she’s been telling the media that, as a child, Jesse would torture and kill small animals because that’s what he’d heard Dr. Mengele would do to people, and he looked up to him.