Kimmel Pulls Talarico Interview From ABC, Cites FCC
Kimmel Pulls Talarico Interview From ABC, Cites FCC
The News
Jimmy Kimmel says his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air on ABC and will be posted to the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" YouTube channel instead, because the Federal Communications Commission has threatened his show, his network and its local stations.
Kimmel announced the switch on Wednesday night's episode, according to Variety and Deadline.
"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.
It is the second time this year a late-night host has moved a Talarico interview off broadcast television. Talarico, a Texas state representative, is the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas.
Timeline
Kimmel interviews Donald Trump on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" while Trump is running for president, and Trump returns for another interview before becoming the nominee in 2016, Kimmel said in his monologue.
Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC demands ABC take action against Kimmel, telling the network "we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Variety reported. The agency has also threatened the licenses of ABC's eight owned-and-operated local stations and opened a formal review of whether the daytime show "The View" qualifies for an exemption to the equal-time rules for political candidates.
CBS lawyers bar Stephen Colbert from airing his own Talarico interview on "The Late Show," a preemptive move as the FCC pushed to apply the "equal time" rule to late-night talk shows, which had been exempt. Colbert posted the interview on YouTube. Talarico's campaign raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after Colbert revealed the ban, and the YouTube clip drew 9.5 million views, Variety reported.
ABC sues the FCC, alleging the commission is waging an "extraordinary assault" on its free-speech rights, per Variety.
Kimmel tells viewers the Talarico interview will not run on television.
The interview is set to be posted in full on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" YouTube channel.
The equal-time rule requires broadcasters who put a qualified political candidate on the air to give rival candidates comparable time if they ask for it. Late-night shows had been exempted from the rule; under Carr, the FCC signaled they would no longer enjoy that protection, Deadline reported.
The Equal-Time Rule
Reactions
Kimmel framed the move as protecting local stations: "Out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense, my interview tomorrow with James Talarico will not air on television. It will be posted on YouTube instead. It will not be on TV."
He also told viewers where to find it. "If you want to learn about a candidate for the Senate tomorrow, you will have to go to the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' YouTube channel, where you will see it in its entirety. And thank goodness we have that, because in the America we live in right now, that is the best that we can do until November, of course." He urged viewers to register and vote, calling it "the most important thing you can do."
Kimmel said he had interviewed candidates for the show's more than 20 years on the air, from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz to Trump himself, "with no problem at all."
When Colbert was blocked in February, he noted that "two of the people most affected by this threat are me and my friend Jimmy Kimmel."
Variety wrote that under Carr the agency "has arguably been weaponized" as it takes on critics of the Trump administration. The FCC did not respond to Kimmel's remarks in the reporting available.
What's Next
The Talarico interview is due to post on YouTube on Thursday rather than air on ABC. ABC's lawsuit against the FCC over its licensing and equal-time pressure remains pending, and the commission's review of "The View" is ongoing.
Talarico is on the ballot in Texas's Senate race in November. The Colbert episode suggests the blackout may help him: his campaign banked $2.5 million in a day after that interview was pulled.
Poll
Should the FCC's equal-time rule apply to late-night talk shows?
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