Jimmy Kimmel says interview with Democrat won't air on TV, cites regulator 'threats'
The White House denies Kimmel's allegations regarding his interview with James Talarico, accusing the TV host of "play acting".
Jimmy Kimmel says interview with Democrat won't air on TV, cites regulator 'threats'
TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel says his interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico will not be shown on television because of pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Speaking on his talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, on Wednesday, Kimmel said the FCC, under Donald Trump's presidency, had threatened him and his show "based on simple traditional editorial decisions, guest bookings it would seem they don't like".
A White House spokesman denied that the head of the FCC had threatened Kimmel over his interview with Talarico or any other candidate.
Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton will face Talarico in November's midterm elections.
The result of the Texas contest will help decide whether Democrats can regain control of the US Senate for the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency.
On Wednesday's show, Kimmel said he had interviewed many political candidates over the years, including Trump himself when he was running for his first term.
"Now that he's president, his FCC has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates, our local stations, based on simple, traditional editorial decisions, guest bookings it would seem they don't like," Kimmel said.
He added that, out of consideration for the network's local stations, especially ABC affiliates in Texas, his interview with Talarico would not be broadcast on television on Thursday and would instead be posted on YouTube.
In a statement to the BBC, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said: "Jimmy Kimmel is play-acting - as he often does - to create a false narrative about this administration's policies."
"[FCC] Chairman [Brendan] Carr has not threatened him regarding interviewing James Talarico, or any other candidate," Ingle added.
The FCC grants broadcast licences and also regulates radio, TV and satellite airwaves.
ABC, which airs Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has been locked in a dispute with the regulator and Carr, a Trump appointee, for months.
In September, Kimmel was briefly taken off air over remarks he made about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. That move came hours after Carr, a Trump appointee, threatened action against ABC and its parent company Disney.
Then in April, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called on ABC to discipline Kimmel over a joke he made about her.
Soon after, the FCC ordered an early review of Disney's television broadcast licences. In response, ABC last month sued the FCC, saying it was being unfairly singled out over its editorial content.
Trump has at times said he is considering revoking the FCC licence for several US networks that he said had aired criticism of his presidency.
In February, fellow US late-night host Stephen Colbert accused his network, CBS, of refusing to air his interview with Talarico out of fear of retaliation from the FCC. CBS denied that it had blocked the interview from being broadcast, saying it had only provided "legal guidance".