72% of America Watches Lucy Give Birth on TV
CBS network executives had spent months terrified that Lucille Ball's real pregnancy would destroy the show. The word 'pregnant' was banned from scripts; they used 'expecting' instead, and a priest, a rabbi, and a minister reviewed every episode for decency. None of it mattered on January 19, 1953, when 44 million Americans tuned in to watch Lucy Ricardo give birth to Little Ricky. The episode drew 71.7 percent of all television households, a figure that dwarfed Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration the following day by fifteen million viewers. Ball had actually given birth to her son Desi Arnaz Jr. by cesarean section earlier that same day, a scheduling feat coordinated between her obstetrician and the CBS production calendar. The episode shattered the taboo against depicting pregnancy on television, though it would take another twenty years before 'pregnant' was spoken aloud on network TV.
January 19, 1953
73 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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