Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon Ends After Nearly 60 Years

According to Fox News, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) telethon is ending its annual Labor Day tradition that Jerry Lewis started in 1956. The MDA telethon has been televised on ABC for nearly six decades. After Jerry Lewis’ final hosting in 2010, the telethon began to lose popularity. Now, it has come to an end.

Having the telethon in the past worked then, but times are changing. The telethon was from a different age after almost 60 years of celebrities performing, telephones ringing, and a tote board displaying millions of dollars in donations.

The Huffington Post reported that the MDA is ending to focus on more digital fundraising efforts after the success of last year’s ALS Ice Bucket challenge. Therefore, the MDA said it will be using digital and mobile platforms to engage with the public and continue to share stories about families living with muscular dystrophy on Labor Day.

Because television time is costly, the MDA’s fundraising projects will move primarily online. The success of a viral event like the Ice Bucket Challenge proved this is a powerful way to raise funds for a worthy cause.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a viral phenomenon when everyone from average citizens to celebrities took part by challenging others to donate to the cause, or pour a bucket of ice over their heads. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised $100 million in just a month last year.

When Jerry Lewis hosted the annual Labor Day event, it was 21 and a half hours long. Since Lewis stopped hosting, the Muscular Dystrophy telethon was cut to just two hours for the last couple of years. “It’s not a 21-hour world anymore,” according to MDA executive vice president Steve Ford.

Last year’s MDA’s telethon was renamed “Show of Strength.” It raised $56.9 million over the 2014 Labor Day weekend.

MDA’s president and chief executive Steven M. Derks gave an explanation for the ending of the telethon.

“In the last few years, the show was adjusted to reflect changes in viewership and donor patterns. Last summer’s Ice Bucket Challenge once again affirmed for us that today’s families, donors and sponsors are looking to us for new, creative and organic ways to support our mission.”

So far, there is no cure for muscular dystrophy. Even so, MDA aims to continue raising awareness and improving the lives of people suffering from the rare muscle-wasting genetic disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and other related diseases.

The Muscular Dystrophy telethon, hosted by Jerry Lewis until his abrupt departure after the 2010 show, has raised almost $2 billion in donations for children with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and other life-threatening diseases.

Lewis, 89, declined to comment on the ending of the Muscular Dystrophy telethon that has meant so much to him for almost 50 years.

[Image via Getty Images]