'Family Feud' Ratings Soar

"Family Feud," the syndicated game show hosted by Steve Harvey, hit a ratings record high the first week of January, reaching a 7.6 and poised to become what its producers say is the first nationally syndicated TV series ever to increase its ratings for seven consecutive years.

In a statement accompanying the ratings news, Jennifer Mullin, Co-CEO, FremantleMedia North America, praised the producing team and host. “Their passion,” she said, “coupled with the unstoppable talent within Steve Harvey, is what makes 'Feud' continue to shine.”

The game show has increased its season-to-date average to a 6.8 rating, FremantleMedia says, up 8 percent compared to the same period a year ago. according to Fox News.

The early-January figures do not reflect whatever publicity bump came with Harvey’s much-covered meeting with President-elect Donald Trump last Friday, January 13. Harvey told reporters gathered then in the lobby of Trump Tower that he, Trump and Dr. Ben Carson discussed working together on urban issues.

Per the ratings announcement, "Feud’s" numbers have “surged nearly fivefold” from a 1.4 in the 2009-10 season to its current 6.8 (2.4 in 2010-11, followed by a 3.0, 4.6, 5.0, 6.2 and last season’s 6.6). That surpasses both "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" in the game category, and "Feud" “frequently leads all of first-run syndication.”

According to The Hill, Harvey — who had been critical of Trump during the 2016 White House race — called it “important” to meet with the real estate mogul because “the only way we can heal the divide in this country is through conversation.”

The entertainer gave credit to Trump, saying after he told the president-elect he wanted to "aid in any way I could to help improve the housing conditions in the inner cities," Trump "immediately got Dr. Ben Carson on the phone." Carson is Trump's pick to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Wanted to share this today. pic.twitter.com/mpKGBZic5k

— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) January 17, 2017

USAToday reports days before making headlines by meeting with President-elect Donald Trump, Steve Harvey was drawing criticism for a different reason, targeting Asian men in a string of racist jokes on The Steve Harvey Show.

On Tuesday morning, the Family Feud host offered his "humblest apology for offending anyone, particularly those in the Asian community" in a message on Twitter.

"It was not my intention and the humor was not meant with any malice or disrespect whatsoever," the text post wrote.