Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Texas Senate candidate James Talarico only on YouTube after saying the FCC threatened his show, network and local ABC stations for booking political guests.Kimmel posted the full 21-minute conversation Thursday and said the interview was kept off broadcast airwaves.
He argued late-night shows have long hosted candidates, including Donald Trump twice when he was running, and that the government was now trying to dictate editorial choices.
“We are being targeted by the FCC for the crime of interviewing political candidates,” Kimmel said at the top of the clip. “Now I guess he doesn’t like me anymore — or the First Amendment. … So, tonight, we are bypassing the public airwaves and hosting this YouTube interview on YouTube, even though our government would clearly prefer that we not do it at all.”
On the show, Talarico, a Texas state representative, criticized Republican opponent Ken Paxton for refusing to debate and discussed President Trump and the RNC midterm convention. Kimmel noted Talarico had also been “demoted to YouTube” in a February appearance with Stephen Colbert before “The Late Show” went off the air.
Talarico framed the race as an underdog fight against Paxton and a broader “corrupt system.” He said Elon Musk had already spent millions to defeat him and that MAGA Inc., described as the president’s dark-money super PAC, spent $10 million last week.
“They are terrified of this movement we’re building in Texas; working people coming together across party, and race, and gender, and religion, and culture to take on the people at the top who have been screwing us over for far too long now,” Talarico said.