Jimmy Kimmel has a message for Ken Paxton: “Call me.”
During his Thursday night monologue, Kimmel revisited his decision to keep his interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico off ABC and post it to YouTube instead, citing the FCC’s increased scrutiny of candidate appearances.
“This interview will not be televised because of threats from the FCC,” Kimmel told viewers, calling the situation “yet another attack on free speech.”
Kimmel said the FCC’s equal-time rules could require him to interview the other candidates on the ballot—including Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.
That prospect, Kimmel made clear, would not be a problem.
“Which, by the way, I would love to do,” he said of interviewing Paxton. “Call me.”
“I have many questions for you,” Kimmel added.
The complication, Kimmel explained, is that Paxton isn’t the only other candidate on the ballot. With roughly 10 candidates running, ABC affiliates in Texas could potentially face equal-time requests from all of them.
Kimmel announced Wednesday that his Talarico interview would be posted to his show’s YouTube channel rather than airing on ABC, saying he wanted to spare the network’s Texas affiliates from having to deal with the issue.
The White House, meanwhile, disputed Kimmel’s characterization of the situation in a statement Thursday.
“Jimmy Kimmel is playacting as he often does to create a false narrative about this administration’s policies,” the statement read. “Chairman Carr has not threatened him regarding interviewing James Talarico or any other candidate. Any media outlet blindly amplifying Kimmel’s delusion should insist on proof, of which they will find none.”
Kimmel followed the statement with a clip of a news anchor suggesting that viewers might still see Talarico on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that night after all.
“Yeah, no,” Kimmel replied. “You’re not.”
True to his word, Kimmel’s full 21-minute interview with Talarico was posted to YouTube Thursday night.
Equal Time Rules apply to ALL Political candidates regardless of Party affiliation
ABC wants nothing to do with that. lol