Jimmy Kimmel told his studio audience Wednesday night that his interview with Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, taped for Thursday's show, would not air on ABC. Instead, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" posted the conversation straight to its YouTube channel — a move Kimmel said was forced by the Federal Communications Commission under President Trump.

"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."

Kimmel added that "for the whole 20-plus years of our show," he had booked candidates for office "with no problem at all" — until, he said, "his FCC has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates."

An Equal-Time Fight Two Years in the Making

The dispute traces to a January FCC memo that reversed a two-decade-old exemption letting late-night talk shows book political candidates without triggering the agency's equal-time rule, which requires broadcasters give rival candidates comparable airtime. FCC Chair Brendan Carr's agency had already opened an inquiry into whether ABC's "The View" violated that rule after Talarico appeared on the show during his primary campaign.

Kimmel's move makes ABC the second network in 2026 to divert a Talarico interview away from broadcast — CBS pulled a planned Stephen Colbert sit-down with the candidate in February under similar pressure. Disney, ABC's parent company, sued the FCC in August, arguing the agency's posture toward the network amounts to unconstitutional retaliation.

Reaction Pours In

Talarico, appearing on MS NOW Thursday, called the situation "the most dangerous form of cancel culture" and urged renewed attention to First Amendment protections for broadcasters. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez said "no host, local affiliate, or network should have to weigh federal retaliation before booking a guest for a newsworthy interview." Press-freedom groups piled on: Free Press's Timothy Karr called Carr's actions an "unconstitutional crusade," while FIRE's Bob Corn-Revere labeled it "another day, another chilling effect on broadcast speech." The White House fired back, accusing Kimmel of "play-acting" and "egocentric delusion."

What's Next

The YouTube-only interview landed Thursday night, days ahead of the Sept. 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, where Kimmel is nominated for outstanding talk series. Neither the FCC nor ABC has signaled whether the underlying "equal-time" dispute over "The View" will be resolved before Talarico's Senate race reaches Election Day, and Disney's First Amendment suit against the agency remains pending.