Jimmy Kimmel moves James Talarico interview to YouTube citing FCC threats
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel moved his scheduled television interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to YouTube, citing regulatory threats from the Republican-led FCC. The move follows a January 2026 FCC policy change ending equal-time exemptions for talk shows. ABC and parent company Disney are currently suing the FCC, alleging a retaliatory campaign by Chairman Brendan Carr. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez condemned the pressure as federal intimidation.
Kimmel interview moved to YouTube
▪Jimmy Kimmel announced on September 9, 2026, that his scheduled television interview with Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico would not air on ABC
▪Jimmy Kimmel stated the decision to move the James Talarico interview to YouTube was made to protect local ABC affiliates from Federal Communications Commission retaliation
▪The September 10, 2026, interview between Jimmy Kimmel and James Talarico was moved to the Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube channel instead of broadcasting on television
FCC equal time rule changes
▪In February 2026, CBS declined to broadcast Stephen Colbert's interview with James Talarico on The Late Show due to concerns over Federal Communications Commission equal-time rules
▪The Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation into ABC's daytime talk show The View after the program hosted James Talarico for an interview
▪In January 2026, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that daytime and late-night TV talk shows are no longer exempt from equal-time rules as "bona fide" news programs
▪Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Anna Gomez condemned the regulatory pressure on broadcasters, stating that federal retaliation threats undermine press freedom
ABC-FCC legal dispute
▪In September 2025, ABC temporarily suspended Jimmy Kimmel's show for nearly a week following his comments regarding the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
▪ABC and its parent company Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission over an early review of eight ABC-owned station licenses
▪Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr ordered ABC to submit to early license reviews in April 2026, which Disney characterized as a retaliatory campaign
Texas Senate race context
▪Democratic candidate James Talarico is running against incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race
▪An August 2026 poll by Texas Southern University showed James Talarico leading Ken Paxton 47 percent to 45 percent among likely voters
▪The political action committee MAGA Inc. committed $10 million to run advertisements against James Talarico in the Texas Senate race
Debatable claims
▪The FCC should exempt late-night talk shows from equal-time rules
▪The FCC's early review of ABC's broadcast licenses is a retaliatory campaign
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