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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has criticized Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, alleging he orchestrated a “hoax” by appearing on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night program. Carr contended that Talarico’s interview was designed to generate publicity and campaign funding. The FCC chairman drew parallels to a previous television appearance Talarico made on another network’s talk show earlier in the year.
ABC elected to distribute the Kimmel interview exclusively through YouTube rather than broadcast it on traditional television. The network’s decision came amid concerns about potential regulatory consequences from the FCC’s equal-time rule, which generally requires broadcasters to provide comparable airtime to political candidates. Kimmel explained the choice was made to protect ABC’s local affiliate stations, particularly those in Texas. The YouTube video subsequently accumulated millions of views within its first day online.
Talarico responded to the broadcasting constraints by characterizing the situation as government censorship that undermines First Amendment protections. He criticized the FCC’s enforcement approach as “cancel culture.” Kimmel similarly objected to what he described as government interference in editorial decisions, noting that late-night programs have historically hosted numerous political candidates without prior restrictions.
Carr’s scrutiny of broadcast talk shows reflects broader FCC concerns about whether such programs warrant exemptions from equal-time regulations. The agency has initiated formal reviews examining whether popular daytime and late-night talk shows qualify as legitimate news programming, which would exempt them from certain regulatory requirements.
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Originally reported by Variety →
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