# Kimmel’s ABC show won’t air interview with Democrat because of Trump FCC threats

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/kimmels-abc-show-wont-air-interview-with-democrat-because-of-trump-fcc-threats/
- Published: 2026-09-10T23:01:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-11T05:15:59+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/kimmels-abc-show-wont-air-interview-with-democrat-because-of-trump-fcc-threats/
- Topics: Trending, Weird & Viral

## Key points

- Kimmel aired his Talarico interview only on YouTube, not ABC broadcast.
- Move followed sustained FCC pressure and licence reviews under Chairman Carr.
- Mirrors Colbert/CBS's earlier decision to shift a Talarico interview online.

## Summary

Jimmy Kimmel's ABC talk show ultimately aired its interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico only on YouTube, rather than on broadcast television, after Kimmel said mounting pressure from the Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Brendan Carr made airing it on ABC's network too risky for local affiliate stations. Kimmel noted that across more than 20 years of hosting he had interviewed candidates from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump without incident, but said "something has changed" under the current FCC that left him unwilling to expose station licences to jeopardy.

The decision capped a lengthy run of FCC actions against Disney-owned ABC, including Kimmel's brief suspension in 2025 over "news distortion" claims, an early licence review opened in April covering all eight ABC-owned stations, and a separate May proceeding examining whether The View should retain its exemption from the equal-time rule after it too interviewed Talarico, with the show halting political interviews altogether once that inquiry began. The FCC had also ordered broadcasters in January to apply the equal-time rule to talk shows deemed "motivated by partisan purposes," a move critics noted was not applied to conservative talk radio. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez condemned the pressure as unlawful and a threat to press freedom, while the episode echoed a similar case in February when Stephen Colbert's CBS show also moved a Talarico interview to YouTube after citing FCC-related legal concerns.

## Coverage

- [Ars Technica: Kimmel’s ABC show won’t air interview with Democrat because of Trump FCC threats](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/kimmels-abc-show-wont-air-interview-with-democrat-because-of-trump-fcc-threats/)
- [Deadline: Kimmel “Play-Acting” Over James Talarico Interview & FCC Threats, White House Claims; Says Late Night Host Spinning “False Narrative”](https://deadline.com/2026/09/kimmel-talarico-white-house-reaction-1237074121/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.