The ongoing tension between ABC and the Federal Communications Commission continues to affect Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The latest chapter led Jimmy Kimmel to announce a major change to his plans this week.
Kimmel announced during Wednesday night's monologue that his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico will not air as part of Thursday's broadcast. Instead, viewers will have to head to the show's YouTube channel to watch the interview in its entirety.
The late-night host explained that the decision was made out of consideration for ABC's local affiliates, particularly those in Texas, who could potentially face complications because of the interview.
“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,” Kimmel said. “It will be posted on YouTube instead. It will not be on TV.”
Kimmel recapped his issues with the FCC under President Donald Trump's second term. The late-night host said the FCC has threatened his show and ABC "based on simple traditional editorial decisions, guest bookings, it would seem, they don’t like”
The comedian also reminded his audience that Donald Trump had no problem with appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when he was a candidate running for office. But Kimmel's nonstop criticism of the Trump administration has led to the current tension with the FCC.
The situation is particularly notable because this isn't the first time Talarico has found himself caught up in the complicated rules surrounding political appearances on late-night television.
Earlier this year, FCC Chair Brendan Carr indicated that late-night shows are not exempt from the equal time rule. In response, CBS refused to allow Stephen Colbert to air a February interview with Talarico. The network even went so far as to request Colbert not mention the cut interview on The Late Show's broadcast.
Colbert, unsurprisingly, refused and shared all the details of the controversy. The interview eventually went up on the Late Show's YouTube channel, providing a blueprint for how Jimmy Kimmel Live! decided to handle its current situation.
The unusual circumstances highlight how political interviews have become increasingly complicated for late-night shows. What would ordinarily be a straightforward conversation with a political candidate can now create regulatory concerns for the networks and their local affiliates.
Social media provides a silver lining in these cases (at least for now). Kimmel acknowledged the benefit of avoiding another FCC showdown by turning to YouTube. “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,” he said on Wednesday night.
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