Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr accused Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico of orchestrating a hoax to drive up clicks and donations, following a decision by Jimmy Kimmel to move an interview with the politician off broadcast television and onto YouTube over equal-time regulations.
Jimmy Kimmel announced to viewers that his upcoming interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico would bypass broadcast television entirely and stream on YouTube, attributing the decision to pressure and regulatory threats from the Federal Communications Commission. The late-night host stated that the administration and the FCC under Brendan Carr had targeted the network, local stations, and affiliates over traditional guest bookings.
The move mirrors a similar controversy from February, when Stephen Colbert posted an interview with Talarico to YouTube after network lawyers warned that the broadcast could trigger equal-time regulations. Talarico is locked in a competitive Senate race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico characterized the regulatory pressure as government censorship and a form of cancel culture, posting the video online with the label the interview Trump’s FCC doesn’t want you to see
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Brendan Carr Charges Talarico With Running a Fundraising Hoax
Following days of public debate and as the YouTube interview approached 7 million views, Carr weighed in on X to dispute the censorship claims. The FCC chairman asserted that the campaign had manufactured a controversy to boost online visibility and campaign contributions. Carr accused Talarico of 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
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“The 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.”
Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman
He also dismissed comparisons to Sen. Ted Cruz appearing on ESPN’s College GameDay, noting that cable networks fall outside the scope of the rule and that Cruz is not currently up for reelection.
Shifting Regulatory Ground for Late-Night Talk Shows
For decades, daytime and late-night talk shows operated under the presumption that they held an exemption from the FCC’s 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’s authority is limited. However, the FCC issued guidance in January stating that late-night and daytime talk shows actually may not be exempt.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez condemned the agency’s stance, stating that no host, local affiliate, or network should have to weigh federal retaliation before booking a guest for a newsworthy interview
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Disney-owned ABC subsequently filed a lawsuit against the FCC on First Amendment grounds, challenging an agency directive requiring the network’s eight owned-and-operated stations to submit early broadcast license renewals.
Broader Political Fallout and Campaign Merchandise
During his appearance, Talarico discussed the incident.
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