A few hours before Kamala Harris' convention speech Thursday night, there was a hot rumor: The evening might feature a surprise guest. A couple of the names being floated were Beyonce and Taylor Swift. The anticipation among many was off the charts, and then... nothing happened. Well, except for the Democrat nominee's speech. Convention-goers were a bit let down:&nbsp;

The media can feel good about themselves, however, because, as Tom Elliott noted in video form, they did their part to gin up excitement:

The media pushing a fake rumor was the perfect addition to the Democrats pushing a phony candidacy.

It was likely an attempt to convince attendees to stay in the building until the end, as well as make sure there were more people watching on TV. How many of these viewers stayed tuned in because of the "special guest" tease?

We'll go ahead and call that number a "Beyonce bounce" for the Dems.

Final night of DNC total viewership: 28 million.&nbsp;

Viewership not counting people who tuned in because they were told Beyoncé or Taylor Swift might show up: 5 million.

The DNC knew that "Beyonce might be there" would be more likely to increase viewership than "Kamala will definitely be there."

 {ai:summary}<p>In the lead-up to Kamala Harris’ DNC speech, whispers of a surprise guest—Beyoncé or Taylor Swift—turned into a media-fueled frenzy. But when the curtain rose, the promise faded, leaving a crowd hungry for more than just political rhetoric. </p><p>Viewers tuned in, lured by the star-studded bait, yet the only glow came from the teleprompter. A ploy, perhaps, to bolster numbers—only to find disappointment in the spotlight's shadow. #politics</p>

How Much of This Harris Speech Viewership was Fueled by Media Hyping DNC 'Special Guest' Rumors?

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