{"id":846009,"date":"2026-09-13T05:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T05:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/846009\/"},"modified":"2026-09-13T05:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T05:04:09","slug":"fcc-chairman-accuses-james-talarico-of-running-a-hoax-with-kimmel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/846009\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC Chairman Accuses James Talarico Of Running A “Hoax” With Kimmel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAs Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>\u2018s interview with James Talarico<\/a> nears 7 million views on YouTube, FCC<\/a> Chairman Brendan Carr weighed in on Saturday evening, accusing the Texas U.S. Senate candidate of orchestrating a \u201choax\u201d to drive up \u201cclicks and donations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEarlier this week, Kimmel told viewers that he would be sitting down with an interview with Talarico for his ABC late night show, but that it would be posted to YouTube and not broadcast because of the FCC\u2019s crackdown on its equal time rule<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a post on X, Carr accused Talarico of \u201cjust running the same hoax he did a few months ago on Colbert for the purpose of getting clicks and donations\u2014he\u2019s banking on people not understanding the statute or operating as partisan lemmings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe also posted a meme of Talarico riding on a bicycle on Kimmel\u2019s back before Kimmel puts a stick in the spokes and it crashes to the ground.<\/p>\n

Ok, fine. I\u2019ll weigh in.<\/p>\n

1. The Equal Time statute doesn\u2019t apply to GameDay for several reasons. <\/p>\n

For one, when it passed the statute, Congress applied it to broadcast tv stations\u2014not cable programs like GameDay. <\/p>\n

For another, Congress stated that the statute only applies to\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/r3KP7RvQL8<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/m5IbEl8Ngr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) September 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tA Talarico campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Kimmel interview had drawn 6.8 million views as of Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn February, Stephen Colbert posted an interview with Talarico to YouTube, telling viewers that he was warned by network executives about featuring the candidate on the broadcast. That interview generated 9.6 million views on YouTube. Like the Kimmel interview, the YouTube views were well over the average audience for the actual late-night broadcast.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an interview this week, Talarico characterized<\/a> the Kimmel incident as government censorship and a form of \u201ccancel culture.\u201d He also posted the interview to X, calling it \u201cthe interview Trump\u2019s FCC doesn\u2019t want you to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor decades, daytime and late-night TV talk shows have operated on the assumption that they were exempt from the FCC\u2019s equal time rule, which requires broadcasters who feature candidates to provide comparable time to their rivals, if it is requested. News coverage and news interviews have been exempt from the requirements, and the rule also does not apply cable or streaming, where the FCC\u2019s authority is limited.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut in January, the FCC under Carr<\/a>, appointed by Donald Trump<\/a>, issued guidance to broadcasters that TV talk shows actually may not be exempt, a move that critics saw as a regulatory effort to crack down on daytime and late-night hosts the president does not like.\u00a0Within weeks, the agency launched an investigation of ABC\u2019s The View after it featured Talarico as a guest.<\/p>\n

\n\tUntil now, Carr had yet to weigh in on Kimmel\u2019s latest criticisms and the decision to move the interview to YouTube. The late night host called<\/a> the FCC\u2019s equal time enforcement threats an effort to \u201cmake our editorial decisions for us, which of course we cannot accept.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Thursday, a White House spokesperson said <\/a>that Kimmel was \u201cplay acting\u201d to \u201ccreate a false narrative,\u201d and that Carr \u201chas not threatened him regarding interviewing James Talarico, or any other candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCarr has denied that the FCC\u2019s stricter enforcement of the equal time rule was an attempt to censor guests.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn X, Carr posted, \u201cThe Equal Time statute does not prohibit anyone from interviewing anyone on broadcast tv. It is about more speech, not less. Congress wanted to ensure that voters would decide elections, not media gatekeepers picking winners and losers by providing preferential airtime to some candidates and not others. Indeed, when the statute applies, it simply requires broadcast stations to offer comparable time and placement. And comparable does not necessarily mean an interview by the same person on the same program either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCarr\u2019s comments were in response to a post from University of Texas Democrats, who noted the appearance of Sen. Ted Cruz (D-TX) on ESPN\u2019s College GameDay on Saturday. The group posted on X, \u201cSo I can\u2019t watch Talarico on Kimmel but I have to watch Ted Cruz on GameDay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe FCC chairman noted that the equal time rule would not apply to Cruz\u2019s appearance because it was on a cable network and because the regulation covers only legal qualified candidates, or contenders who are in the midst of an election campaign. Cruz is not up for reelection this year; Talarico\u2019s Republican rival is Ken Paxton.<\/p>\n

\n\tABC is challenging the FCC\u2019s enforcement of the rule when it comes to The View, pointing out that the agency affirmed its exemption from the regulation in a 2002 letter. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe network also has sued the FCC on First Amendment grounds. It claims that the agency\u2019s order that its eight owned stations submit to early license renewals is a form of regulatory retaliation, due to the Trump administration\u2019s dislike of its news coverage and other content including The View and Kimmel.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his post, Carr again defended the FCC\u2019s regulatory efforts as within the bounds of the agency\u2019s authority. <\/p>\n

\n\tHe wrote, \u201cIn exchange for that free and exclusive right to use spectrum, broadcasters made a deal with the American people. They agreed to operate, not in their own narrow interests, but in the public interest. There are various rules and policies that they must follow. This sets them apart from newspapers and cable shows and podcasts. But some broadcasters want to break their deal with the American people. They want to keep their free access to billions of dollars worth of spectrum, of course. They are less eager these days to abide by their public interest obligations.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tABC\u2019s legal team has argued that the FCC is engaging in selective enforcement, as its January guidance did not target conservative talk radio, and wrote that the equal time rule is unworkable for shows like The View as it puts network stations on the hook for time to potentially dozens of candidates on the ballot. Kimmel said this week that he would love to interview Paxton, but \u201cour affiliates in Texas would have to give equal time to as many candidates as there are on the ballot. There\u2019s about 10 candidates on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n