Jimmy Kimmel’s opponents in the Trump administration really don’t seem to understand how late-night’s relationship with political campaigns works. If they did, Texas State Rep. James Talarico’s planned Thursday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would have occurred without much fanfare. Instead, since the Federal Communications Commission is pressuring ABC and its affiliates on several fronts, Kimmel gave Talarico some of the most valuable promotion available: central placement in his Wednesday night monologue, the most-watched part of any late-night talk show.
The host announced his Talarico interview would not air on ABC but instead be featured on the show’s YouTube channel. Kimmel explained he was doing this out of consideration for local stations nationwide, “especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense.”
As for which nonsense Kimmel is referring to, take your pick.
Earlier this year, FCC chairman Brendan Carr made the extraordinary demand that ABC file for renewals for eight of its owned-and-operated stations years ahead of schedule. “The View” is also under the FCC’s eye, thanks to its investigation into whether other talk shows meet the “bona fide news exemption” following January 2026 guidance warning that, in its interpretation, they don’t.
Nearly one year ago, ABC pre-emptively benched “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a week after Carr threatened the network over Kimmel’s comments about the right-wing media’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death. The resulting outcry shamed the network and demonstrated the activating power of public outrage.
Talarico, the Democratic candidate running in a tight Senate race against Texas Attorney General and Republican Trump ally Ken Paxton, has been here before. In February, CBS lawyers barred “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” from running its interview with him, so the show posted it online. That clip has garnered more than 9.5 million views. According to Variety, Talarico’s campaign raised $2.5 million in its wake.
Kimmel noted that for more than 20 years, he and other late-night hosts interviewed political candidates, including Trump, without any fuss. “When [Trump] was the one sitting next to me, he seemed to have no problem with the idea of talk show hosts interviewing candidates,” Kimmel said, coyly adding, “But for some reason, and I can’t seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed now that he is president.”
Last month, ABC and its parent company Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit in federal court against the FCC. They also requested a temporary restraining order against the agency’s efforts to force an early review of its licenses. Last week, the FCC asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit.
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