FCC threats push Kimmel’s Talarico interview off air

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel revealed on Wednesday that his late-night show would not air an interview with James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, because of interference from the Federal Communications Commission under the Trump administration.

Kimmel told viewers that he will conduct the interview on Thursday but that it will not air on broadcast television and will instead be posted to YouTube. Kimmel said this is being done to protect local television stations, which are regulated by the FCC, and in particular the ABC affiliates that air his program “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in Texas.

“For the whole 20-plus year[s] of our show, in fact, I’ve been interviewing Americans who are running for office, with no problem at all,” the comedian explained, highlighting the unusual level of government interference under Trump.

Kimmel noted that he has previously interviewed candidates from both major parties, including Donald Trump amid the 2016 presidential election cycle. 

“Now that he’s president, his FCC 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,” Kimmel said.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump, has threatened daytime and late-night talk shows with government action, asserting that these programs could be in violation of their FCC license to broadcast if they interview Democratic political candidates without a Republican response. FCC and broadcast tradition for decades has been to give these types of programming an exception and allow networks to make their own editorial decisions. 

But faced with an unpopular Trump presidency and surging Democratic candidates, the FCC has instead chosen to use government power to attack speech.

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In February, “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert said lawyers from CBS feared FCC action and barred him from airing an interview with Talarico, who was then competing in the Democratic primary. After the video of the interview was posted to YouTube, it drew millions of views, likely far more than would have occurred without the administration’s censorship. Talarico then won his Democratic primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Kimmel has been the most prominent figure in the crosshairs of Trump’s attacks on free speech. Last year, the FCC spearheaded a campaign to get Kimmel kicked off air after conservatives mischaracterized a joke that Kimmel made about the reaction to the death of racist far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

Trump has effectively turned the FCC, whose mandate is regulating the use of publicly owned airwaves and not shielding Trump from free speech, into another one of his personal attack dogs. Over the weekend, Trump threatened that he would report NBC reporter Kristen Welker to the FCC for the sin of describing his diminished influence with Republican voters.

Carr also recently indicated that he would use his government power to pressure television stations to avoid reporting on supposed “fake polls” that show Republican weakness, falsely characterizing such reporting as possible election interference.

Trump is trying to crush free speech and create a media environment where only those who sing his praises are allowed to be heard.

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