Jimmy Kimmel stated that ABC opted not to air an interview with Democratic Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico on television, moving it instead to the show's YouTube channel. Kimmel claimed on his Wednesday night broadcast that the decision was made after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) "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, host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," remarked that he had interviewed political candidates for 23 years without issue, a practice he noted was also common for late-night hosts like David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Arsenio Hall. He recalled interviewing Donald Trump during his 2015 presidential campaign and again in 2016, stating Trump was then amenable to talk show appearances.
"But for some reason, and I can’t seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed," Kimmel said.
ABC declined to comment on the matter, and the FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This instance follows a similar situation in February, when Stephen Colbert reported that network lawyers had blocked an interview with Talarico, accusing the FCC of attempting to silence anti-Trump voices. That interview was also posted on Colbert's show's YouTube channel.
ABC has been engaged in a dispute with the FCC for over a year. In August, the network filed a lawsuit against the agency, alleging a "retaliatory campaign" aimed at silencing its programs by threatening broadcast licenses. The FCC has requested a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit, maintaining that its review of ABC's licenses is unrelated to anti-Trump hosts on shows like "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" or "The View."
The conflict's origins trace back to March 2025, when FCC Chair Brendan Carr initiated an inquiry into whether ABC's parent company, Disney, was still practicing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that the Trump administration sought to curb.
In January, the FCC issued new guidance suggesting that entertainment talk shows should adhere to the same "equal time" rules as broadcast news stations. This could potentially require shows like "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "The View" to offer equal airtime to all political candidates if they frequently criticize Trump.
Tensions escalated in April when Carr moved to renew eight ABC licenses ahead of schedule, citing the network's alleged non-compliance with the DEI investigation. Concurrently, Carr and Trump had publicly called for ABC to terminate Kimmel's employment over past remarks he made concerning the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and a joke about First Lady Melania Trump.
In September 2025, ABC briefly removed Kimmel's show from the air following backlash for comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk and the political motivations behind characterizing the perpetrator.
Kimmel expressed his frustration with the situation, crediting the network's YouTube channel as a valuable alternative. "Thank goodness we have that, because in the America we live in right now, that is the best that we can do — until November, of course. Make sure you register to vote," he told his audience.