FCC chairman Brendan Carr has publicly accused Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico of staging “a hoax” to drive up engagement and donations through his recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Deadline reported. As of Saturday evening, the interview has reached 6.8 million views on YouTube. This situation stems from a decision to move the content to the internet rather than airing it on ABC, which the host attributed to concerns regarding the FCC equal time rule.
Carr addressed the situation on Saturday evening by posting on X. He stated that Talarico is “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.” The chairman shared a meme depicting Talarico on a bicycle behind Kimmel, who then places a stick in the spokes to cause a crash.
The tension began earlier in the week when Kimmel informed his audience that the interview would be restricted to YouTube to avoid potential regulatory issues. Talarico has framed the move as government censorship and a form of cancel culture. On his own X account, the candidate described the segment as “the interview Trump’s FCC doesn’t want you to see.”
This follows a similar incident in February involving Stephen Colbert
Colbert’s interview with Talarico was also moved to YouTube and subsequently gained 9.6 million views. The current friction centers on the FCC equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to provide comparable time to political rivals if requested. While news interviews have historically been exempt, the FCC issued new guidance in January suggesting that talk shows might not qualify for that same exemption.
Carr, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, has denied that these efforts constitute censorship. He explained his position on X by writing, “The Equal Time statute does not prohibit anyone from interviewing anyone on broadcast tv. It is about more speech, not less.” He added that the rule is intended to prevent media outlets from acting as gatekeepers who pick winners and losers in elections.
When questioned about the fairness of these regulations, particularly following the appearance of Senator Ted Cruz on the cable network ESPN, Carr clarified that the rule does not apply to cable or streaming services. He also noted that the regulation applies to qualified candidates currently in an election campaign, whereas Cruz is not up for reelection this year.
ABC is currently pushing back against these regulatory pressures through legal channels. The network has sued the FCC on First Amendment grounds, arguing that the agency is engaging in regulatory retaliation. ABC also contends that the equal time rule is impractical for talk shows, as it could force stations to provide airtime to every candidate on a ballot.
Kimmel echoed this concern, noting that he would be open to interviewing Talarico’s opponent, Ken Paxton, but that it would trigger an obligation to provide time to the nearly ten other candidates on the ballot.
Despite the criticism, Carr maintains that broadcasters are held to a different standard than other media because they receive free access to public spectrum. He wrote on X, “In 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.”
A White House spokesperson also weighed in on Thursday, stating that Kimmel is simply “play acting” to “create a false narrative.” As of now, the Talarico campaign has not provided a response to the latest comments from the FCC chairman.
Published: Sep 13, 2026 03:47 pm