Jimmy Kimmel is moving a political interview off his ABC broadcast and onto YouTube, citing pressure from the Trump-led Federal Communications Commission.
The late-night host, 58, announced Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! That his upcoming conversation with Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico will not air on television. Instead, the full interview will be posted to the show’s YouTube channel, a decision Kimmel framed as protecting local ABC affiliates from regulatory retaliation.
“I’ve interviewed a lot of political candidates, from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz to Donald Trump himself,” Kimmel said on his Wednesday broadcast. He noted that for two decades he had been “interviewing Americans who are running for office with no problem at all.”
Kimmel pointed to his 2015 interview with Trump during his first presidential campaign as evidence of how standards have shifted. The host recalled that Trump back then “was very eager to come back for another interview” and had “no problem with the idea of talk show hosts interviewing candidates.”
“But for some reason, and I can’t seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed,” Kimmel continued.
That change, Kimmel alleged, involves direct threats from the FCC, which he described as “an independent agency of the United States government that regulates interstate and international communications.”
“Now that he’s president, 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,” the TV host alleged.
Kimmel explained the move to YouTube as a defensive measure for ABC’s local partners. “Out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas, who would have to deal with this nonsense,” he said, the Talarico interview “will not air on television.”
He assured viewers they would still be able to watch the conversation in full online. “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 added.
The November reference points to the upcoming midterm elections, when Democrats are projected to make significant gains. Talarico is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas.
Kimmel’s conflict with Trump predates this FCC dispute. In May, the host mocked Trump’s approval ratings during his monologue, comparing them unfavorably to a comedy film character. “Trump’s approval ratings, like his testicles, have shrunk to an all time low,” he told his studio audience. “They are lower than they have ever been. He’s now down to 34%. He has the same approval rating as Paul Blart Mall Cop.”
The relationship between the two men deteriorated further after Kimmel’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner appearance, during which he referred to Melania Trump as an “expectant widow.” Trump responded on Truth Social with a call for Kimmel’s dismissal. “I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,” Trump wrote. “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
The FCC, chaired by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, has not publicly commented on Kimmel’s allegations.
Kimmel’s interview with Talarico is scheduled to be released on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube channel.