Grammys 2012 Ratings: Jennifer Hudson's Whitney Houston Tribute And Adele Bring In 39 Million Viewers

Music's biggest night brought in 39 million viewers, making it the second most-watched Grammy Awards in history and managed to bring in a larger audience than the 2011 Academy Awards. The only Grammy Awards to outrank this year's broadcast was Michael Jackson's big year in 1984, which brought in 43.8 million viewers.

Sunday night's Grammys were worth a tune-in and that didn't go unnoticed by the public: Jennifer Hudson performed an emotional tribute to the late Whitney Houston, Adele nearly collapsed into a fit of tears (and snot) and Nicki Minaj had a controversial onstage religious experience.

With Whitney Houston's passing on Saturday, fans were no doubt anxious to see how the Grammys would handle the loss of one of the biggest names in music, and of course, whether 23-year-old Adele would manage to take home every award she was nominated for; and they weren't disappointed.

Did you tune in to the 2012 Grammys? What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments.

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Comments

[The Man on the street]

02:54 AM on 02/15/2012

The Whtiney tribute I'm waiting for is marathon blocks of "Being Bobby Brown", followed by the dvd release of uncensored episodes.... Must See TV!

[The Man on the street]

04:20 AM on 02/14/2012

Whitney's NEVER been hotter! - CBS is showing its gratitude by building a Prime Time show around her this Fall, something fun and light that will showcase Whitney's acting talent but won't cramp her busy touring and recording schedule...

[frutann]

12:01 AM on 02/14/2012

Jennifer Hudson should not have done that tribute she actually ruined that song. Jennifer hudson couldn't hit the notes correctly so she had to change the song up for her to be able to sing it. It was horrible and very hard to watch.
The only person that they should have had sang the song was the actual person who wrote and sang the song first Dolly Parton. She may not have hit the high notes but she wouldn't have butchered the song.

[MayberryClark]

07:54 PM on 02/13/2012

You know what else? She has a giant head and she doesn't look anything like Fergie.

[loki]

07:52 PM on 02/13/2012

No disrespect because I really did like Whitney , but I kind of think the only reason views were up this year was due to her sudden death, and they wanted to see how the Grammys would deal with it.

But, Im sure the producers will claim it was everything but that

[corlista]

07:46 PM on 02/13/2012

My husband and I usually watch the Grammys but thought most of it was a bit of a yawn, e.g., McCartney, Campbell, T. Bennett, and some, I didn't even know who they were. Nicki M - what was that?? Thought Alicia, C. Brown and Adele were really good as was Hudson's tribute to Whitney. Per usual, MJ is still #1:
"The only Grammy Awards to outrank this year's broadcast was Michael Jackson's big year in 1984, which brought in 43.8 million viewers."
As it should be. There will never be another...

[The Sky is falling Down]

07:35 PM on 02/13/2012

I only wanted to see Jennifer Hudson as well but ended up missing her perform because the show was so bad. Rihanna, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, the Foo Fighters, and Chris Brown performed two songs. WTF! Please someone save the music industry!

[Adonijah]

07:46 PM on 02/13/2012

lol

[Adonijah]

07:47 PM on 02/13/2012

...and what was up with that Nikki performance?! YIKES

[The Sky is falling Down]

07:53 PM on 02/13/2012

lol, yes I heard it was scary. Will be looking for it on You Tube, come to think of it, should have done that in the first place, damn! lol

[Mr Ware]

07:25 PM on 02/13/2012

Meh.

[1088]

07:20 PM on 02/13/2012

Whitney and Jennifer was the only reason I tuned in, because I've stop watching a long time ago, due to the fact that singers today, cannot sing.

[Adonijah]

07:16 PM on 02/13/2012

That's the only reason I tuned in. Adele and the Whitney tribute. I stopped watching the Grams yrs ago.

@Jennifer Hudson's Whitney Houston Tribute And Adele Bring In 39 Million Viewers

[The Sky is falling Down]

07:31 PM on 02/13/2012

Ditto. I love your pic of Dorothy Dandridge!

[Adonijah]

07:36 PM on 02/13/2012

Thank you Sky! She was so lovely to me.

[KittyLove]

07:00 PM on 02/13/2012

"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"
And sometimes, a very gifted singer wins 6 Grammys!
I love Adele. She has an amazing voice and a beautiful heart.
I was so happy I got to see her perform yesterday

[Adonijah]

07:37 PM on 02/13/2012

Adele was wonderful. I only enjoyed about 3 performances...lol.

[bubbles36]

06:35 PM on 02/13/2012

Too much Paul McCartney, Beach Boys, and Glen Campbell. These people were good at one point, but their time is long gone.

[OGalaxy]

07:18 PM on 02/13/2012

I thought those were some of the best performances. It's important that we continue to honor all artists and our collective music history -- not just what's hot right now. Plus, all those guys sounded fantastic.

[The Sky is falling Down]

07:29 PM on 02/13/2012

I did not want to see the Beach Boys or Paul either but surprisingly loved watching Glen Campbell.

[Adonijah]

07:42 PM on 02/13/2012

I enjoyed Glen as well. Especially how the audience was singing to chorus.

[Mitsy]

06:25 PM on 02/13/2012

Many people (including myself) tuned in to see the tributes made to whitney houston....have not watched the grammy's in years..

[sharmaine73]

07:14 PM on 02/13/2012

That is the only reason I watched it (actually it's still on my DVR --- haven't watched it, but I'll fast forward through it in 15 minutes, sometime today).

[Adonijah]

07:17 PM on 02/13/2012

lol

[oceanofconsciousness]

07:27 PM on 02/13/2012

We must be twins.

[Adonijah]

07:17 PM on 02/13/2012

D I T T O!!!!

I just posted that...lol

[VapeGirl]

06:24 PM on 02/13/2012

Can someone tell me what all the hype for Adele is?

[Sesame2009]

06:33 PM on 02/13/2012

Did you hear her?  It's her voice.  She's simply marvelous.

[VapeGirl]

06:39 PM on 02/13/2012

I'm not hearing it...sorry, I guess I'll keep listening to what I think are good singers, like Anne Wilson and Whitney Houston. :)

[VapeGirl]

06:56 PM on 02/13/2012

Sorry, I am just not hearing it. I guess I prefer voices like Anne Wilson and Whitney Houston.

[SFMuscular]

07:29 PM on 02/13/2012

She wrote the song she sang and it was both intimate and powerful because of the power of her voice. Maybe you've been lucky in life and never had your heart stomped on, because Adele certainly captured how I once felt. Besides that, she's very good-natured and not at all pretentious. LL Cool J, I could have done without.

[Eric Schannen]

06:13 PM on 02/13/2012

Great, Amazing show.
The tribute to Whitney was gracefully done.
Her death still had everyone in shock. There will be a time and place to give Whitney a better tribute.
Adele rocked it.

[Adonijah]

07:18 PM on 02/13/2012

Agree!

@The tribute to Whitney was gracefully done.
Her death still had everyone in shock. There will be a time and place to give Whitney a better tribute.
Adele rocked it

[sharmaine73]

07:28 PM on 02/13/2012

Crazy how fast they were able to pull something together.