Kimmel says Democratic interview pulled amid FCC threats
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Jimmy Kimmel said his James Talarico interview will not air on ABC, citing FCC threats.
The Texas Senate hopeful's sit-down moves to YouTube, testing TV political speech.
Background
Kimmel announced during his Wednesday monologue that his interview with James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, would not air on ABC and would instead be posted on the show's YouTube channel. He attributed the move to threats from President Trump's FCC, saying the agency has threatened him, his show and his network over editorial decisions. ABC and its parent Disney previously suspended Kimmel's show in September 2025 after his comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk, and FCC Chair Brendan Carr had warned the network could face consequences. A similar situation occurred in February, when Stephen Colbert said CBS lawyers blocked a Talarico interview and he also moved it to YouTube.
How it unfolded
- Sep 2025ABC briefly pulled Kimmel's show off the air after backlash over his comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk; FCC Chair Brendan Carr had threatened action against Kimmel and ABC affiliates.
- Feb 2026Stephen Colbert said CBS lawyers told him he couldn't air an interview with Talarico as planned, accusing CBS of caving to FCC threats; he moved it to YouTube.
- Sep 8, 2026During his monologue, Kimmel took aim at Carr while celebrating his show's 4,000th episode.
- Sep 9, 2026Kimmel announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that his interview with Talarico would not air on ABC and would instead be available on the show's YouTube channel, citing FCC threats.
- Sep 10, 2026The interview with Talarico was set to be conducted Thursday and published in full on YouTube rather than broadcast on ABC.
Who’s saying what
- Kimmel
- Kimmel said the FCC has threatened him, his show and his network based on simple editorial decisions, and that he has interviewed candidates for decades, including Trump, without issue until now.
- FCC
- The agency contends its actions are part of a sweeping investigation into Disney's diversity hiring practices, and Chair Brendan Carr has questioned whether ABC is using federally regulated airwaves to serve the public interest.
Still unverified
Kimmel did not say whether he, ABC or Disney made the decision not to air the interview; the FCC's characterization of its actions as part of a diversity-hiring investigation is the agency's stated position, and the alleged threats are described by Kimmel and reported by outlets rather than confirmed by ABC or the FCC.