Jimmy Kimmel moves Senate interview to YouTube in latest collision with FCC
News Source
β’Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:03:14 +0000
π° What Happened
Jimmy Kimmel says an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on ABC. Instead it will be released on YouTube on Thursday.
Kimmel blamed growing pressure from the US Federal Communications Commission. The Republican-led agency said in January that late-night and daytime talk shows are no longer "bona fide" news shows, so equal time rules now apply.
Talarico is running against Republican Ken Paxton. Experts rate the Texas Senate race as a toss-up that could decide control of the Senate in November.
π The Backstory
For decades talk shows could interview candidates without equal time problems. Kimmel even interviewed Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.
But over the past year The View, Saturday Night Live and Kimmel's show faced more FCC checks. In September 2025, ABC paused Kimmel's show for six days after his remarks about Charlie Kirk's killing.
CBS also refused to air a Talarico interview for Stephen Colbert, and it went online instead. In August the FCC scrapped the 39 percent cap on local TV ownership.
π― Why It Matters
When a regulator decides who gets airtime, it can shape what voters hear before an election. This fight could affect a close race and test free speech on TV.
Jimmy Kimmel says an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on ABC. Instead it will be released on YouTube on Thursday.
Kimmel blamed growing pressure from the US Federal Communications Commission. The Republican-led agency said in January that late-night and daytime talk shows are no longer "bona fide" news shows, so equal time rules now apply.
Talarico is running against Republican Ken Paxton. Experts rate the Texas Senate race as a toss-up that could decide control of the Senate in November.
For decades talk shows could interview candidates without equal time problems. Kimmel even interviewed Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.
But over the past year The View, Saturday Night Live and Kimmel's show faced more FCC checks. In September 2025, ABC paused Kimmel's show for six days after his remarks about Charlie Kirk's killing.
CBS also refused to air a Talarico interview for Stephen Colbert, and it went online instead. In August the FCC scrapped the 39 percent cap on local TV ownership.
When a regulator decides who gets airtime, it can shape what voters hear before an election. This fight could affect a close race and test free speech on TV.