Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel revealed on Wednesday that his planned interview with James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, will not air during Thursday’s show and will instead only be available on YouTube.
President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission “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 during his opening monologue.
The host added that he wanted to spare ABC affiliates in Texas from any fallout that may have arisen if the interview aired during the broadcast.
Kimmel did not say whether he, ABC or the network’s parent company, Disney, made the decision not to air the interview, but a similar situation occurred earlier this year.
In February, “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert accused CBS of caving to the FCC’s threats when the network’s lawyers told him he couldn’t air an interview with Talarico as planned.
He also moved it to YouTube.
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
“He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers ― who called us directly ― that we could not have him on the broadcast,” Colbert said at the time.
The “Late Show” host slammed CBS for directing him not to talk about the situation on the air.
“Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on,” Colbert added. “And because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”
Colbert also highlighted how FCC Chair Brendan Carr had threatened to enforce equal time regulations, which TV talk shows have long been exempt from.
Disney is currently suing the FCC and the Trump administration over the agency’s decision to initiate an early review of eight ABC-owned stations’ broadcast licenses.
Disney filed the suit on First Amendment grounds, claiming the early review represents an “existential threat” to the network.
Watch Kimmel explain why his Talarico interview is being moved to YouTube below: