Elizabeth Vargas' Nightly News Return FLOPS Against Fierce Cable Rivals & Reruns Of 'SpongeBob SquarePants'

Elizabeth Vargas isn't getting the return to TV she had hoped for. The ratings for the premiere of her nightly program with NewsNation are in, revealing disappointing viewership for her daily news homecoming, RadarOnline.com has learned.

As this outlet reported, Vargas left ABC News in 2018, sending staffers a shocking email about her abrupt departure. After five years — filled with running a podcast and months after launching her syndicated series iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas — the three-decade news veteran signed on to host the NewsNation program Elizabeth Vargas Reports, which premiered on Monday.

Despite drumming up Vargas' big return, RadarOnline.com can reveal that her ratings didn't outshine her competitors, including Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier, CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, and MSNBC's The Beat Ari Melber.

Vargas also failed to gain more eyeballs than repeats of Law and Order, Impractical Jokers, Seinfeld, Me and Mickey, Spongebob, The Andy Griffith Show, and more.

This outlet can report that Elizabeth Vargas Reports averaged 90,000 total viewers and 28,000 in the key 25-54 demographic on premiere night. Vargas addressed her fierce competition while promoting her comeback.

With her background as a correspondent on Good Morning America and a co-anchor for ABC World News and 20/20, she knew the opposition would be stiff — especially given NewsNation's launch in 2021.

“I think it is ridiculous to think that you’re going to launch a brand new cable news network and attract a massive audience,” Vargas said. “That will happen years down the road. You have to be patient. You’re growing something here. When you look at the history of what are behemoths now in the cable news landscape … they had to attract an audience. They had to grow an audience, and we will too.”

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Since the network's launch, NewsNation bosses have added fierce talent to its lineup.

As RadarOnline.com reported, NewsNation controversially added embattled Chris Cuomo to its roaster after he was fired from CNN. News vets like Ashleigh Banfield, Dan Abrams, and Leland Vittert are also part of the team, with sources telling us the network's boss also has his sights set on scorned GMA3 lovers Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes.