FCC chairman Brendan Carr has accused late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico of a "hoax" concerning their recent interview. Kimmel announced on Wednesday that his interview with Talarico would be released directly to YouTube, rather than airing on ABC, due to the network's ongoing issues with the FCC.
In a post on X, Carr responded by accusing Talarico of "running the same hoax he did a few months ago on Colbert for the purpose of getting clicks and donations." Carr argued that the FCC's Equal Time statute does not prevent interviews on broadcast television, but rather requires rival candidates to be given "comparable time and placement."
Kimmel's interview, titled "the FCC Doesn’t Want You To See" on YouTube, has garnered 8.1 million views. Previously, an interview between Stephen Colbert and Talarico, posted to YouTube in February, has been watched 9.6 million times.
Last month, ABC and its parent company Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC, alleging a "retaliatory campaign" over its news coverage and programming. The lawsuit specifically references Carr's comments about Kimmel from the previous year.