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ABC and Disney Sue FCC Over Kimmel’s Texas Interview

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 10:29 PM UTC · How we work

Center

White House denies threat

Jimmy Kimmel posted his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on YouTube instead of airing it on ABC Thursday.
A White House spokesperson said the FCC had not threatened Kimmel and labeled his claims a false narrative.
The interview earned over 8 million views in 72 hours, the second-most-viewed 2026 video on Kimmel’s channel.
ABC sued the FCC, alleging retaliation for the Kimmel interview.

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Disney sues FCC

Jimmy Kimmel posted his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on YouTube Thursday, bypassing ABC’s broadcast.
Kimmel said the shift responded to Federal Communications Commission pressure that threatened voter access to the candidate’s statements.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called interview a “hoax” and said Talarico repeated a Colbert stunt.
ABC and Disney sued the FCC, alleging a First Amendment campaign against their news coverage.

History

Historical Context

In 1973 Pacifica Foundation’s WBAI aired George Carlin’s “seven dirty words,” prompting an FCC complaint and a declaratory order. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in FCC v. Pacifica Foundation (1978) upheld the agency’s power to restrict indecent broadcast to the 10 p.m.–6 a.m. safe-harbor window. Today Jimmy Kimmel’s YouTube release of James Talarico’s interview and ABC’s lawsuit revive that same clash over content control.

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White House denies threat

Jimmy Kimmel posted his interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on YouTube instead of airing it on ABC Thursday.
A White House spokesperson said the FCC had not threatened Kimmel and labeled his claims a false narrative.
The interview earned over 8 million views in 72 hours, the second-most-viewed 2026 video on Kimmel’s channel.
ABC sued the FCC, alleging retaliation for the Kimmel interview.

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