Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with James Talarico Won’t Air on TV

Jimmy Kimmel announced that his interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not be broadcast on his show due to threats from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). During his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he explained that the interview, scheduled for Thursday night, will be available only on YouTube.

According to Kimmel, the FCC, under President Donald Trump, has threatened him, his show, ABC, and its affiliates based on editorial decisions they seem to disagree with. He stated, “His FCC has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates, our local stations based on simple, traditional editorial decisions, guest bookings it would seem they don’t like.”

Kimmel cited concerns about the renewal of licenses for ABC stations as a reason for not airing the interview on television. “Out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense, my interview tomorrow with James Talarico will not air on television,” he said, adding that the interview will be posted on YouTube.

This situation echoes a similar incident involving Stephen Colbert, who in February faced FCC’s “equal time” concerns when CBS opted not to air an interview with Talarico on The Late Show. Colbert eventually posted the interview on YouTube, despite CBS’s denial of banning the interview.

In his monologue, Kimmel suggested Republicans are anxious about the upcoming midterm elections, specifically pointing out the Senate race in Texas as a potential loss for the GOP. Polls indicate Talarico is narrowly leading his opponent, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. This race is crucial as Democrats aim to gain control of the Senate by winning four seats.

Kimmel reflected on his history of interviewing political figures, noting that past interviews, including those with Donald Trump, occurred without issues. He recounted, “I’ve interviewed a lot of political candidates from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz to Donald Trump himself.” He mentioned Trump was willing to be interviewed when he ran for president.

However, Kimmel highlighted a change in attitude now that Trump is president, attributing the FCC’s actions to simple editorial decisions. His decision to move the interview with Talarico online is to protect local stations from dealing with complications.

For those interested in the Senate candidate’s interview, Kimmel directs them to the show’s YouTube channel where it will be available in full. He concluded by reminding viewers to register to vote, calling it “the most important thing you can do.”