Jimmy Kimmel pulls political interview from ABC broadcast citing FCC pressure

Jimmy Kimmel, the late night talk show host with Disney-owned ABC, is taking some precautions in the face of scrutiny by the Federal Communications Commission.

Kimmel said on Wednesday night that he will not air an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on national television. The interview will air on YouTube on Thursday instead.

"For some reason, and I can't seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed," Kimmel said during his Wednesday night broadcast. "Now that [Trump] is president, his FCC has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates, our local stations, based on simple, traditional editorial decisions."

He added that the decision not to broadcast the interview on live TV is "out of consideration" for ABC affiliates who he said would have to "deal with this nonsense" of FCC scrutiny.

"In the America we live in right now, that is the best we can do, until November, of course," Kimmel said.

The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Talarico, a state representative, is locked in a tight Senate race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who's gotten an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Public polling has shown Talarico slightly ahead of Paxton, a controversial figure in Texas who was impeached by the state House of Representatives over allegations of corruption. He was acquitted by the state Senate.

In January, the FCC called into question whether TV talk shows are "bona fide" news programs and are therefore exempt from equal airtime rules for political candidates. "The View," another ABC program, has faced similar scrutiny from the FCC.

Kimmel said Wednesday that he has been interviewing political candidates, including Trump himself, for years.

Kimmel's show has become a lightning rod for debates around broadcasting rights, First Amendment protections and government intervention.

Last year, ABC-affiliate station owners opted not to air "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after comments he made during a monologue following the killing of Charlie Kirk. ABC suspended the show for roughly a week, and Kimmel later said, "It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man."

But ABC has faced continued pressure from the Trump administration since.

In April, the FCC launched an early renewal process for ABC-owned stations, citing an investigation into the company's diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

ABC filed the license renewals but in August, sued the agency over First Amendment concerns, calling its investigation into the company a "retaliatory campaign."