Skip to content
Ars Technica·

📺Kimmel's Senate Candidate Interview Moves to YouTube Only

FCC Threats Force TV Interviews to YouTube

TL;DR

Jimmy Kimmel's interview with a Democratic Senate candidate will air only on YouTube due to FCC threats. Local stations fear losing licenses if they air the interview.

Jimmy Kimmel's interview with a Democratic Senate candidate will air exclusively on YouTube, a first for the long-running show. This shift is due to FCC threats against broadcast licenses of stations airing the interview. Local stations are wary of FCC repercussions, leading to this unprecedented move. The FCC has been investigating ABC and The View, ordering early license reviews and threatening to revoke licenses for airing controversial interviews. Disney, ABC's parent company, sued the FCC in August, arguing that its First Amendment rights are being violated.

Kimmel's Senate Candidate Interview Moves to YouTube Only — Ars Technica

Key Points

1

Jimmy Kimmel's interview with a Democratic Senate candidate airs only on YouTube, not broadcast TV.

2

FCC ordered early license reviews for all eight TV stations owned by ABC in April 2026.

3

The FCC started investigating ABC's The View after airing an interview with Talarico in May 2026.

4

Disney sued the FCC in August 2026, arguing First Amendment rights are being violated.

5

The FCC has not made similar moves against conservative talk radio shows.

Why It Matters

Local TV stations fear losing FCC licenses if they air controversial political interviews. This forces Jimmy Kimmel's interview with a Senate candidate to move to YouTube. Disney's lawsuit against the FCC highlights the tension between media freedom and regulatory threats.

FCCJimmy KimmelYouTubeABCmedia-regulation

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does this matter?

Local TV stations fear losing FCC licenses if they air controversial political interviews. This forces Jimmy Kimmel's interview with a Senate candidate to move to YouTube. Disney's lawsuit against the FCC highlights the tension between media freedom and regulatory threats.

What happened?

Jimmy Kimmel's interview with a Democratic Senate candidate will air only on YouTube due to FCC threats. Local stations fear losing licenses if they air the interview.

Comments

Subscribe to join the conversation...

Be the first to comment

Enjoyed this article?

Get it daily. 7am. Free. Reads in 5 minutes.

Join 3,476 builders reading daily.

Also get