Jimmy Kimmel says James Talarico interview won't air on ABC

Jimmy Kimmel told viewers that his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on ABC and will instead be posted on the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” YouTube channel.

During his Wednesday monologue, Kimmel said the decision came “out of consideration for our local stations,” and blamed what he described as threats from the Federal Communications Commission under the Trump administration, which he said had pressured ABC and its affiliates.

A dim late-night studio set with an empty host chair and a darkened camera array in the background, a single monitor glowing — evokes a broadcast pulled from air

The comedian said the interview, scheduled for Thursday, will appear online after lawyers and network staff warned that airing a candidate on broadcast television could attract FCC scrutiny. NBC News reported Kimmel announced the switch on Wednesday and said the interview would be posted to YouTube instead.

James Talarico is the Democratic nominee in a competitive Texas Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton, and his campaign has featured repeated media appearances as the contest has tightened in recent polls. Kimmel mentioned Talarico by name while criticizing the agency’s new posture toward talk shows and candidate appearances.

An anonymous stack of campaign flyers and a blank television remote on a kitchen table, a muted scene suggesting media and politics intersecting

The move echoes an earlier incident this year when Stephen Colbert said a taped interview with Talarico ran on YouTube rather than on broadcast television after legal guidance about the FCC’s equal-time rule. NBC News reported Colbert was told by lawyers the broadcast could trigger equal-time obligations.

Legal and regulatory context matters: in April the FCC issued guidance tightening how the equal-time rule might apply to late-night and daytime talk shows, a shift that networks say has raised new risks for airing candidates on entertainment programs.

For viewers following the race, the change means a high-profile interview will reach audiences online rather than through ABC affiliates in Texas, a decision Kimmel framed as protecting local stations from regulatory pressure.

Sources

NBC News — Kimmel’s monologue announcing the interview will not air on television and will appear on the show’s YouTube channel; his comments blaming FCC threats.
Los Angeles Times — background on ABC’s dispute with the FCC, the equal-time guidance, and the broader context of the Talarico–Paxton Senate race.