Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel announced Wednesday that his scheduled interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on traditional broadcast television. Following threats from President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission against his network and affiliated stations, Kimmel decided to release the conversation exclusively on YouTube instead.
During his monologue, Kimmel noted that he has interviewed numerous political candidates throughout his two-decade tenure on late-night television, including Trump himself when the former president was campaigning in 2015. Kimmel expressed frustration that Trump appeared supportive of such interviews at that time but now, as president, has reportedly directed his FCC to threaten broadcasters over editorial decisions regarding guest appearances.
To protect ABC affiliates and local stations, particularly those in Texas, from potential regulatory consequences, Kimmel chose to move the Talarico interview to the network’s YouTube channel. He encouraged viewers interested in learning about the candidate to watch the full segment online and reminded audiences of the importance of voter registration.
This situation echoes a similar incident from earlier this year when former Late Show host Stephen Colbert was prevented from airing a Talarico interview due to legal concerns, though CBS later denied directly prohibiting the broadcast. Talarico, a former teacher and current Texas House member, is mounting a competitive Senate challenge against state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Originally reported by Rollingstone →
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