Jimmy Kimmel Pulls James Talarico Interview From ABC After FCC Threats Under Trump Administration

Jimmy Kimmel said his show will not air a scheduled interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on ABC, and instead will post the conversation on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” YouTube channel.

“has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates, our local stations”

NBC News

Kimmel said the decision came after the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission “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.”

Clarin

NBC News reported the interview was set for Thursday and that Talarico, a Democratic state representative in Texas, is locked in a competitive Senate race with Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton.N

The Hill said FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez argued Kimmel’s choice shows “just how far this Administration’s campaign of censorship and control has gone,” while Kimmel told his audience the interview would be moved to YouTube “out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas.”

The White House accused Kimmel of “play-acting” after he said the FCC threatened him and ABC, and White House spokesman Davis Ingle said “Chairman Carr has not threatened him regarding interviewing James Talarico, or any other candidate.”

Ingle added that “Any media outlet blindly amplifying Kimmel’s egocentric delusion should insist on proof,” as Kimmel maintained that his interview would not air on television to avoid provoking President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission with a guest “it would seem they don’t like.”

Diario Público

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner, condemned what she called “FCC intimidation” and said “No host, local affiliate, or network should have to weigh federal retaliation before booking a guest for a newsworthy interview.”

HuffPost reported Talarico called the situation “the most dangerous form of cancel culture,” saying “People at the top, powerful politicians, powerful media executives, censoring what we watch, what we read, what we say.”

The dispute is tied to FCC equal time rules, with USA Today saying the FCC issued guidance that late-night and daytime talk shows must adhere to the equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to offer equal opportunities to other qualified candidates running for the same office.

“Twenty years earlier, a decision found that late-night and daytime talk shows were exempt from the rule.”

USA Today

USA Today also said the memo marked a change in the FCC’s position, noting that “Twenty years earlier, a decision found that late-night and daytime talk shows were exempt from the rule.”

Talarico’s campaign and the FCC did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, while ABC Entertainment declined to comment, leaving the interview’s TV absence centered on Kimmel’s claim of FCC threats.N

Variety reported that Talarico told MS NOW that “Government censorship should be a concern to all of us, regardless of our political party,” and said he still hoped ABC would air the Kimmel interview “across its broadcast channels.”M