Kimmel Pulls Senate Candidate Interview from ABC Broadcast, Citing FCC 'Equal Time' Rule

An interview with a Democratic Senate candidate will not be broadcast on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and will instead be posted online, host Jimmy Kimmel announced, citing a recent policy change by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding political airtime.

FCC Rule Change Sparks Decision

Kimmel stated on his Wednesday broadcast that the interview with James Talarico, a Democrat running for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, would be moved to YouTube. The host attributed the decision to what he described as threats from the FCC over the "equal time" rule for political candidates.

This rule requires broadcasters to provide equivalent opportunities to opposing political candidates who request it. The decision comes ahead of a high-profile Texas race between Talarico and Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, which could influence control of the Senate.

Shift in Regulatory Landscape

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In January, the FCC ruled that daytime and late-night talk shows are no longer considered "bona fide" news programs. This classification had previously exempted them from the equal time requirements for decades, allowing hosts to interview candidates without an obligation to feature their opponents.

Kimmel, who interviewed then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, said the regulatory environment has shifted. "His FCC threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network ABC, our affiliates, our local stations, based on simple traditional editorial decisions," Kimmel said. This change presents a new operational and regulatory challenge for media companies like ABC parent The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), potentially impacting their ability to feature political figures in entertainment programming.

Network and Agency Response

According to a Reuters report, ABC declined to comment on the host's statements. The FCC did not provide an immediate comment on the matter.