Jimmy Kimmel's Talarico Interview Never Aired on ABC — And It Got More Views Than His TV Show

Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, and then ABC didn’t air it. Kimmel says the FCC’s equal time rule made a broadcast too risky, since putting one candidate on TV means every other candidate on the ballot can demand the same airtime. Rather than gamble with local affiliates, the interview went straight to YouTube. The White House disputes Kimmel’s account, saying FCC Chairman Brendan Carr never threatened him.

Here’s the number that made everyone stop scrolling: the YouTube video pulled 3.6 million views in 16 hours. Kimmel’s typical broadcast audience is around 1.5 million. The interview that couldn’t air on television got seen by more than double the people who usually watch the show on television. And this is the second time Talarico has been bumped from a late-night show over FCC concerns, after a similar situation on Colbert’s CBS show in February.

The whole thing has reignited a bigger debate about whether equal time rules built for the broadcast era still make sense when a streaming clip can outperform the network. Free speech groups, media watchers, and late-night fans are all weighing in, and the FCC’s role in what gets aired is back in the spotlight.

Do you think the equal time rule should still apply to broadcast TV in 2026? Sound off in the comments.