FCC's Carr Slams TX Candidate as Running a ‘Hoax’

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr accused Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico of staging a “hoax” to generate clicks and campaign donations after ABC moved Talarico’s interview with Jimmy Kimmel off broadcast television and onto YouTube. In a Saturday night post on X, Carr said Talarico was “just running the same hoax he did a few months ago on Colbert for the purpose of getting clicks and donations — he’s banking on people not understanding the statute or operating as partisan lemmings.” 

Carr attached a meme showing Kimmel carrying Talarico in a baby backpack before crashing the bicycle. The YouTube interview had drawn about 6.8 million views by Saturday evening, after Kimmel announced Wednesday that it would not air on ABC. 

Carr's X Meme

Kimmel said the decision was made “out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense,” and later argued the FCC was targeting the show for “the crime of interviewing political candidates.” 

At issue is the FCC’s equal-time rule, which generally requires broadcasters to give opposing candidates comparable airtime. Talk shows long relied on a “bona fide news” exemption. Under 2026 guidance from Carr’s FCC, that exemption may not apply if a candidate interview is judged to be motivated by partisan purposes. Kimmel said he had previously hosted Donald Trump and other candidates without similar restrictions. 

Carr and the White House deny any threat tied to the Talarico booking. Assistant White House Press Secretary Davis Ingle called Kimmel’s account “play acting” and said Carr “has not threatened him regarding interviewing James Talarico, or any other candidate.” Talarico, who is challenging Republican Sen. Ken Paxton, called the episode “the most dangerous form of cancel culture.” 

Variety said his campaign had not immediately commented on Carr’s latest post. The clash echoes a February dispute with Stephen Colbert. CBS did not air Colbert’s Talarico interview on broadcast, citing legal guidance that it could trigger equal-time obligations; the segment went to YouTube instead and drew millions of views. Carr then labeled that episode a “hoax” as well, saying CBS had options to comply and that Talarico was exploiting public assumptions about censorship. The FCC also opened an equal-time inquiry into Talarico’s earlier appearance on ABC’s The View.