How will President Trump’s address impact tonight’s TV schedule?
How will President Trump’s address impact tonight’s TV schedule?
With all four broadcast networks airing the White House address, they will all need to juggle their lineups.
On Wednesday, April 1, President Donald Trump is set to address the nation live from the White House. The president is expected to discuss what he views as his administration’s biggest achievements during the first three months of 2026, while also providing a preview of what is next on his agenda, including with the war in Iran. The address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET and is slotted to run approximately 20 minutes. Since all four of the broadcast networks will be carrying the address, that means that they will be juggling their primetime schedules. If your favorite show is going to be interrupted, here’s what you can expect.
How to watch primetime broadcast shows on April 1:
ABC
The originally scheduled new episodes of “The Greatest Average American” at 9 p.m. ET and “Shark Tank” at 10 p.m. ET have been replaced on ABC’s schedules with reruns of both shows on both the East and West Coasts. With the president’s address set to begin at 9 p.m., ABC will join “The Greatest Average American” already in progress at roughly 9:20 p.m.
After that, the rest of the evening’s schedule will continue as planned, including local news and the previously planned rerun episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!.”
ABC’s April 1, 2026 primetime schedule:
- President Trump’s address to the nation: 9 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. ET
- “The Greatest Average American” Rerun: Will begin in progress at approximately 9:20 p.m. ET
- “Shark Tank” Rerun: Will air in full beginning at 10 p.m. ET
The Greatest Average American
“The Greatest Average American” is a hilarious new game show that celebrates the power of being perfectly average. Each round is packed with laugh-out-loud challenges and trivia as contestants try to guess how everyday Americans think and live. In the end, one lucky player will be crowned the Greatest Average American and get the chance to win the ultimate grand prize: the average American salary of $67,920.
CBS
On Wednesday night, CBS has a two-hour edition of “Survivor” planned. Originally, it was set to run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, followed by a new episode of “America's Culinary Cup.” Now, due to the disruption caused by the president’s address, “Survivor” will air from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., when “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil will anchor coverage of the speech.
Once the address is over, CBS will return to “Survivor.” If the president wraps up in the previously announced 20 minutes, “Survivor” will air its second hour from approximately 9:20 p.m. until 10:20 p.m., at which time “America’s Culinary Cup” will begin. Local news will follow, pushing “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to a new start time of 11:50 p.m. ET.
CBS’s April 1, 2026 primetime schedule:
- “Survivor” Hour 1: Will run from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET
- President Trump’s address to the nation: 9 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. ET
- “Survivor” Hour 2: Will begin at approximately 9:20 p.m. ET
- “America's Culinary Cup”: Will begin at approximately 10:20 p.m. ET
- Local news: Will begin at approximately 11:20 p.m. ET
- “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”: Will begin at approximately 11:50 p.m. ET.
Survivor
A reality show contest where sixteen or more castaways split between two or more “Tribes” are taken to a remote isolated location and are forced to live off the land with meager supplies for roughly 39 days. Frequent physical challenges are used to pit the tribes against each other for rewards, such as food or luxuries, or for “Immunity”, forcing the other tribe to attend “Tribal Council”, where they must vote off one of their players.
Fox
Originally, Fox had planned to run a two-hour season finale of “The Masked Singer” during its two-hour primetime block. While that will essentially remain the plan, the network will have to contend with the president’s address. “The Masked Singer” finale will begin, as planned, at 8 p.m. ET and will run until the president’s speech begins at 9 p.m.
Then, once the address concludes, Fox will return for the second hour, pushing back local programming until 10:20 p.m. ET
Fox’s April 1, 2026 primetime schedule:
- “The Masked Singer” Hour 1: Will begin as scheduled at 8 p.m. ET
- President Trump’s address to the nation: 9 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. ET
- “The Masked Singer” Hour 2: Will begin at approximately 9:20 p.m. ET
The Masked Singer
Celebrities compete in a singing competition with one major twist: each singer is shrouded from head to toe in an elaborate costume, complete with full face mask to conceal his or her identity. One singer will be eliminated each week, ultimately revealing his or her true identity.
NBC
As fans of procedural dramas know, Wednesdays are “One Chicago” nights on NBC. The network will run new episodes of all three Dick Wolf-produced Windy City first-responder shows on Wednesday night, but will work around the presidents address to the nation. “Chicago Med” will remain, uninterrupted, in its original time slot, airing from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
From there, NBC will pause programming to cover the president’s speech until it concludes at approximately 9:20 p.m. From there, “Chicago Fire” will begin its new episode at approximately 9:20 p.m., leading straight into “Chicago P.D.” around 10:20 p.m. ET.
The delay in the broadcasts will mean that NBC local news will not air until 11:20 p.m. ET, pushing back “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” until 11:50 p.m. ET.
NBC’s April 1, 2026 primetime schedule:
- “Chicago Med”: Will air as planned at 8 p.m. ET
- President Trump’s address to the nation: 9 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. ET
- “Chicago Fire”: Will begin at approximately 9:20 p.m. ET
- “Chicago P.D.”: Will begin at approximately 10:20 p.m. ET
- Local news: Will begin at approximately 11:20 p.m. ET
- “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”: Will begin at approximately 11:50 p.m. ET.
Chicago Fire
An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America’s noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death.