FS1’s Wake Up Barstool is a work in progress. But by the time the show becomes the finished article, there may be nobody left to see it.
When the show debuted earlier this month, it was unlike anything that a major sports network was televising. The show is the definition of alternative programming, but your view of it probably depends upon how deeply ingrained you are in the Barstool universe. Needless to say, it’s not for everybody.
When Wake Up Barstool debuted, its first week ratings were shockingly low, sinking even further than the last days of Undisputed and the ill-fated Breakfast Ball and The Facility. The idea that FS1 had a floor for their morning timeslots up against the dominance of ESPN’s Get Up and First Take was put to the test.
The bad news for Fox Sports and Barstool in their new partnership is that the ratings have somehow gotten even worse.
Incredibly, Wake Up Barstool ratings went even lower in its second week on the air. It averaged just over 12,000 in viewership, even drawing as low as 7,000 viewers for its Tuesday show and only cracking the 10k mark twice.
Meant to post it earlier, but here is week 2:
Mon: 23K
Tue: 7K
Wed: 8K
Thu: 15K
Fri: 8K https://t.co/KaXMCWXtoK— Manny | Weather, TV, Sports (@sportsontvguy) September 18, 2025
Even Barstool head honcho Dave Portnoy has admitted that he’s not entirely satisfied with the product that he is putting forth just yet in his Monday appearances. But right now, it looks like Mondays are the only days where there is any kind of audience whatsoever. Given how low the number is though, it’s hard to tell if those extra 10,000 viewers are showing up because of his name recognition or because sports programming is naturally higher on Monday mornings during football season.
To put this number in perspective, it is almost 35 times lower than what ESPN drew for First Take during the month of August at 418,000 viewers. At an average of just over 12,000 viewers for its second week, it is trending towards becoming the lowest rated show in FS1 history according to this database, even trailing Major League Pickleball at 15,000 viewers.
The lack of success for Wake Up Barstool is emblematic of a very real divide that exists between the real world and the online world. So far, Fox has expressed nothing but happiness with their Barstool partnership. The show is not expensive to make and there are likely not any multi-million dollar salaries like there were with Skip Bayless. And networks aren’t just focused on linear anymore with online and digital audiences growing in importance. It must make some economical sense for Fox given that Wake Up Barstool has not one but two airings each weekday morning.
But viewership numbers that are equivalent to the population of Escanaba, Michigan surely have to cause some level of concern at both Fox Sports and their new partners at Barstool, if it’s not full blown panic already.
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