Jimmy Kimmel's interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico garners 5 million YouTube views after being pulled from TV
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The unaired interview was posted to YouTube following threats from the FCC, quickly reaching five million views within a day.
Jimmy Kimmel's interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico was removed from the broadcast schedule of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the Federal Communications Commission reportedly threatened ABC affiliates in Texas. The segment was uploaded to YouTube, where it accumulated more than five million views in its first 24 hours.
"Out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this, my interview tomorrow with James Talarico will not air on television," Kimmel said on air. "It will be posted on YouTube instead. It will not be on TV."
The situation mirrors previous disputes involving the FCC and television programs, including a 2025 incident in which the commission warned ABC after Kimmel made comments about a political figure, leading to a brief suspension of the host. Talarico has also faced FCC-related broadcast restrictions; in February, a planned interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was barred, prompting the segment to be posted online, where it attracted over nine million views.
During the 20-minute interview, Kimmel asked Talarico why he believed the FCC and President Donald Trump were concerned about his campaign. Talarico replied that the opposition feared a potential victory in the Texas Senate race, describing the contest as a challenge to a broader political system.