Kimmel shifts Talarico interview to YouTube to shield stations from FCC
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Comedian Jimmy Kimmel has revealed that Wednesday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" interview with James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for a Texas Senate seat, will not air on broadcast television and will instead be posted on YouTube. Kimmel said the move was made to shield ABC's local affiliates, particularly in Texas, from repercussions from a Federal Communications Commission he accused of being politically weaponised against critics of the Trump administration. The decision echoes a similar case in February, when CBS lawyers blocked Stephen Colbert from broadcasting his own Talarico interview over concerns about the FCC's "equal time" rule for political candidates; that YouTube clip went on to attract 9.5 million views and helped Talarico raise $2.5 million in 24 hours.
Kimmel pointed to a pattern of pressure from the FCC under chairman Brendan Carr, including threats to the licenses of ABC's eight owned-and-operated stations, demands that ABC take action against him last year, and a formal review of whether "The View" qualifies for an exemption to equal-time rules. ABC has since sued the FCC, alleging an "extraordinary assault" on its free-speech rights. Kimmel noted that candidates, including Donald Trump during his 2015-16 campaign, had appeared on late-night shows for decades without controversy, and urged viewers to register to vote ahead of November.
- Kimmel's Talarico interview moves from ABC broadcast to YouTube only
- Cited FCC pressure on ABC affiliates as the reason
- Mirrors February's Colbert/CBS case involving the same candidate
New here? Start with this
James Talarico is the Democratic candidate hoping to win a US Senate seat in Texas. Jimmy Kimmel, host of the American late-night programme "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on the ABC network, had booked Talarico for a television interview, but instead of broadcasting it he is releasing it only on YouTube. Kimmel says this is to protect ABC's local stations from possible action by the Federal Communications Commission, the US regulator that oversees broadcasters and can affect their licences.
A similar situation arose in February, when a Talarico interview recorded for Stephen Colbert's CBS show was also kept off air and put on YouTube instead, reportedly because of concerns about a rule requiring broadcasters to give equal airtime to opposing political candidates. That online clip drew millions of views and a surge in donations for Talarico's campaign. This history is relevant because it shows a pattern of candidate interviews being routed around traditional television broadcast.
The wider context involves tension between the FCC, under chairman Brendan Carr, and broadcasters including ABC, over how the agency handles political content and criticism of the current administration. ABC has taken legal action against the FCC, arguing the regulator has overstepped in ways that threaten free speech. This matters because it touches on how much influence a federal regulator can have over what television networks choose to air.
Full account
Jimmy Kimmel has become the second US late-night host this year to pull a scheduled interview with Texas state representative James Talarico from broadcast television, opting instead to release it exclusively on YouTube. Talarico, who is standing as the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, was due to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, but Kimmel told viewers on Wednesday's show that the conversation would not be broadcast on ABC and would instead be posted online in full.
Kimmel said the decision was taken to protect ABC's local affiliate stations, particularly those in Texas, from regulatory difficulties, citing repeated pressure from the Federal Communications Commission under chairman Brendan Carr. He argued that the FCC had targeted ABC and its affiliated stations over ordinary editorial and booking decisions, pointing to threats against the licences of ABC's company-owned stations, past warnings directed at his own show, and an ongoing FCC inquiry into whether the daytime programme The View is exempt from equal-time obligations when featuring political candidates. ABC has since taken legal action against the FCC, describing its treatment as an aggressive attack on the network's free-speech rights.
The move echoes a similar episode in February involving Stephen Colbert's Late Show, when CBS lawyers likewise blocked a planned Talarico interview from airing on CBS, citing the same FCC equal-time provisions, which historically had not been applied to late-night entertainment programming in this way. That interview was instead uploaded to YouTube, where reports say it drew roughly 9.5 million views, and Talarico's Senate campaign reported raising around $2.5 million in donations within 24 hours of Colbert's announcement.
In his remarks, Kimmel contrasted the current climate with the fact that Donald Trump himself had appeared as a guest on his programme while campaigning for the presidency in 2015, suggesting that scrutiny of the show's guest choices had intensified only since Trump took office. Kimmel encouraged viewers to watch the Talarico interview on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube channel and used the moment to urge his audience to register to vote ahead of the November elections.
Where outlets differ
The Variety-style report gives fuller background on the FCC's broader campaign against ABC, including the threat to affiliate licences, the prior warning to Kimmel's show, the review of The View's equal-time exemption, and ABC's lawsuit against the FCC — details largely absent from the Deadline account.
The Deadline report places more emphasis on the irony of the situation, quoting Colbert's earlier remark that he and Kimmel were the two people most affected by the FCC's stance, and frames the fundraising boost as a likely repeat benefit for Talarico.
Only the Variety-style source cites the specific YouTube view count (around 9.5 million) for Colbert's earlier Talarico interview; the Deadline piece mentions only the $2.5 million fundraising figure.
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Originally published by Variety as “‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Moves Interview With Texas Senate Candidate James Talarico From TV to YouTube Due to FCC Threats”.