What Time The ‘Survivor’ Finale Starts And When It Will Return After Trump’s Speech

Survivor, CBS’s long-running reality series, is airing its highly anticipated Season 49 finale tonight. However, President Donald Trump’s primetime address to the nation will interrupt the broadcast, affecting the episode and cutting into the show.

The 49th season premiered in September and introduced 18 castaways willing to endure food deprivation, harsh elements and intense challenges to become the Sole Survivor and secure one of two available spots on the Survivor 50 cast in 2026. At the start of the season, the contestants were divided into three tribes: Civa, Vula and Lagi.

In May, Kyle Fraser, a 31-year-old attorney from Brooklyn, New York, was named the winner of Survivor Season 48 after a 5–2–1 jury vote. Tonight, a new winner will be crowned and take home the $1 million prize. The five castaways still in the competion are Kristina Mills (36), Rizo Velovic (25), Sage Ahrens-Nichols (30), Savannah Louie (31) and Sophi Balerdi (27).

ForbesWho’s In The ‘Survivor’ Season 49 Cast? Meet The 18 New CastawaysBy Monica Mercuri

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the episode, longtime host Jeff Probst teased that the finale will deliver “the culmination of everything these players have fought through for 26 days. The alliances, the fractures, the risks that paid off, the ones that didn’t — it all converges.”

He added that the final contestants are a reflection of the game they’ve played so far. “Every move, every blindside, every moment of hesitation or courage… it all adds up to who’s still standing,” Probst said.

What Time Is The Survivor Season 49 Finale?

The Survivor Season 49 finale airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS on Wednesday, Dec 17.

When Will The Survivor Season 49 Finale Be Interrupted?

The Survivor Season 49 finale is three hours long and was initially slated to end around 11 p.m. ET, but that won’t be the case.

The broadcast will be interrupted by President Trump’s address to the nation, which is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 17, about one hour into the finale. Trump announced the address via a Truth Social post on Tuesday afternoon.

When Is The Survivor Finale Coming Back On CBS?

Survivor will return on CBS once Trump’s address to the nation concludes. Neither Trump nor the White House has provided details about how long the speech will last.

CBS confirmed that the Survivor Season 49 finale “will resume where it left off immediately following the president’s address for Eastern and Central Time Zone viewers on the CBS Television Network and air in its entirety. Check your local listings for more details.”

CBS’ television schedule may offer a clue as to how long the address will last. It lists the president’s address as running roughly 22 minutes, after which the network returns to the Survivor broadcast at 9:22 p.m. ET, with the finale expected to end at approximately 11:22 p.m. ET.

Still, given the unpredictability of speeches, especially Trump’s, which have tended to run long, there’s a chance the address could be shorter or longer than anticipated.

How To Watch The Survivor Season 49 Finale

There are two ways to watch the Survivor Season 49 finale: live on CBS or via streaming on Paramount+.

How To Watch The Survivor Season 48 Finale On Cable

The Survivor Season 49 finale will air live on CBS. If you don’t have cable, you can watch the episode on a live TV streaming service that carries the network, including DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and YouTube TV.

How To Watch The Survivor Season 48 Finale On Streaming

The finale will also stream live on Paramount+ for subscribers with the Paramount+ Premium plan. Those on the Paramount+ Essential plan can watch the episode the following day. All previous seasons of Survivor are currently available to stream on the platform.

The streaming site is offering a seven-day free trial for both plans, allowing viewers to watch the Survivor Season 49 finale at no cost.