Kimmel says interview with James Talarico won't air on TV under pressure from the FCC

Jimmy Kimmel poses with the award for outstanding host for a game show for “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” during night one of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said the agency that regulates television “threatened” the show and that an interview with James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, will not air on television but on YouTube — thus bypassing any control or regulation by the Federal Communications Commission.

It’s not the first time a TV show has moved an interview with Talarico to YouTube. The candidate’s appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show in February was moved online over network fears that it would violate regulatory guidance from Federal Communications Commission on giving equal time to political candidates.

Talarico is in a tight race against Republican, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, and has given Democrats hope of winning statewide in the otherwise GOP dominated Lone Star State.

“For the whole 20+ years of our show, in fact, I’ve been interviewing Americans who are running for office with no problem,” said Kimmel on his Wednesday night show, the titular “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”