Kimmel Shifts Talarico Interview to YouTube, Alleges FCC Pressure on ABC
Jimmy Kimmel says his interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico will be released on YouTube instead of airing on ABC, accusing the Trump-led FCC of pressuring the network.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has said his interview with James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Texas, will not be broadcast on ABC television and will instead be released on YouTube.
Kimmel attributed the decision to pressure he says the network has faced from the Federal Communications Commission under the Trump administration. According to the host, that pressure concerns how the network handles political candidates.
The move takes the conversation off a major broadcast platform and places it on a digital one, a shift that underscores the scrutiny surrounding how television networks approach political figures during an election cycle.
The interview with Talarico, who is seeking a Senate seat from Texas, had been expected to air on ABC. Instead, viewers will be able to watch it on YouTube, the video platform owned by Google.
Kimmel's claim centres on the FCC, the federal regulator that oversees broadcast licensing. He alleged that the commission, led under President Donald Trump, has leaned on the network over its treatment of political candidates.
Neither ABC nor the FCC has publicly responded to the host's remarks in the wire account. The episode highlights the broader debate over political influence and editorial decisions at major broadcasters.