America250 Launches Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show Tonight: Preview

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Posted in: Current News, streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: America250, july 4th

America250 Launches Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show Tonight: Preview

Kicking off tonight at 9 pm ET, here's your preview for America250's Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show: when to watch, performers, and more!

Published Fri, 03 Jul 2026 19:02:10 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

  • America250’s Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show launches tonight at 9 pm ET, hosted by Jim Gaffigan.
  • The America250 special celebrates America’s 250th and kicks off Giving 4th, a new national giving initiative.
  • Watch the America250 livestream free on America250.org, the America’s Block Party app, and iHeartRadio.
  • Mary J. Blige, Brad Paisley, and NE-YO lead performers as the Times Square Ball drops eight times nationwide.

With the Fourth of July weekend officially underway, America250 (not to be confused with Freedom250, which is more politically-motivated) and NYC's One Times Square are rolling out the Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show, set to stream nationwide tonight. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning and Grammy-nominated comedian/actor Jim Gaffigan, the historic broadcast not only celebrates America's 250th birthday, but it also serves as the official launch of Giving 4th, America250's new national initiative calling on all Americans to add something new to their Independence Day celebration: giving back to the causes and communities they care about. With a whole lot of pre-July 4th events taking place tonight, we've put together a viewing guide offering everything you need: when/where to watch, who's performing, and more.

Image: America250

When & Where Can I Check Out the "Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show"? Here's what you need to know:

  • The Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show will stream live and free TONIGHT, from 9 pm ET to 12:15 am ET on July 4th. While the main show will conclude at approximately 12:15 am, the livestream will continue throughout the evening as the countdowns continue west through Central Time, Mountain Time, Pacific Time, Alaska Time, and Hawaii-Aleutian Time. The final Ball Drop will occur at 7:00 am ET for American Samoa.
  • The event will stream live and free on America250.org and the America's Block Party Mobile App on iOS and Android. In addition, the Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show will be available exclusively across iHeartMedia stations nationwide and digitally on the Freeform Radio channel on the iHeartRadio app (available on iOS, Android, and more).
Image: America250

Who's Performing During the "Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show"? First up, we've got performances by nine-time Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Mary J. Blige, three-time Grammy Award winner and 14-time CMA Award winner Brad Paisley, and three-time Grammy Award winner NE-YO.

In addition, viewers can look forward to performances by musician Dave Bray, a U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Veteran and national recording artist, The Bombshells, a vocal trio specializing in music of the World War II era and the "Great American Songbook," and DJ Chris Washburn, a professional American DJ.

Finally, we have the big moment when the ball drops at midnight ET in NYC to usher in July 4th, 2026. For the first time in history, the Times Square Ball will drop not once, but eight times to mark midnight in every American time zone.

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