'Survivor' season 49 finale interrupted by Trump address prompts fan reactions

President Trump’s speech paused Survivor’s season 49 finale, as fans reacted to broadcast break

President Donald Trump’s live address to the nation on December 17 briefly interrupted the broadcast of the Survivor season 49 finale on CBS, drawing reactions from fans as the reality show’s conclusion was paused mid-episode for the prime-time speech. 

Trump’s announcement of the address came shortly before the episode aired, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the presidential remarks set to start at 9 p.m. ET.

CBS confirmed that its News division would carry the live address as a special report anchored by Norah O’Donnell, with chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes reporting. The Survivor finale will resume immediately after the speech for viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones so that the full episode can still be seen. 

On social media, fans of the long-running reality competition shared their views about the interruption. Some used humour as they reacted to the timing of the broadcast change, saying, "What if Trump just goes " Have yall heard of the Rizgod"" and "Look, #Survivor producers and editors normally do a great job, but this guy hasn’t been featured at all this season and all of a sudden he’s all over the finale. This is a terrible edit."

Others expressed frustration about having to wait longer to see the finale’s conclusion. Posts from viewers highlighted how the scheduling shift affected the live viewing experience. 

This marks one of the first occasions that a Survivor season finale has been paused for a presidential address.

The interruption occurred as the final contestants — Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Sophi Balerdi, Savannah Louie, Kristina Mills and Rizo Velovic — competed for the US $1 million prize.