Jimmy Kimmel makes huge change to his show after being 'threatened' by Trump's FCC
Jimmy Kimmel's talk show is in for a huge one-off shake-up, after citing alleged threats from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), led by President Donald Trump.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights on ABC, but his upcoming interview with Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas, James Talarico, will be airing on his YouTube channel instead.
Addressing the change on his Wednesday night (September 9) show, the 58-year-old announced how he'd been 'interviewing Americans who are running for office with no problem at all' for 20 years.
"I’ve interviewed a lot of political candidates, from Hillary Clinton to Ted Cruz to Donald Trump himself," he added.
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He then reflected back to 2015, when he interviewed Donald Trump while he was running for President, claiming he had 'no problem with the idea of talk show hosts interviewing candidates,' and was 'very eager to come back for another interview'.
“But for some reason, and I can’t seem to figure out what that reason is, something has changed,” Kimmel continued.
He then went on to allege that he had been threatened by the FCC, 'an independent agency of the United States government that regulates interstate and international communications'.
“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," the TV host alleged.
Kimmel then said that 'out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas, who would have to deal with this nonsense,' his interview with Talarico 'will not air on television'.
He then revealed that the interview would be posted on his YouTube channel, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, in which he assured viewers they would 'be able to see it in its entirety'.
“Thank goodness we have that because in the America we live in right now, that is the best that we can do - until November, of course,” he added.
UNILAD has contacted the FCC for comment.
November marks the midterm elections, in which The Democrats are projected to make big gains.
Those who are regular viewers Jimmy Kimmel Live! will have heard the host make many comments about President Trump.
In May, the host appeared to take a dig at Trump's approval ratings, which had dropped to an all time low.
“Trump’s approval ratings, like his testicles, have shrunk to an all time low,” he said, as the crowd burst into laughter.
"They are lower than they have ever been. He’s now down to 34%. He has the same approval rating as Paul Blart Mall Cop," he laughed, referring to the 2009 comedy film.
The pair don't have the best of relationships, with Trump having previously called on ABC to fire the host after his White House Correspondents’ Dinner skit. During the show, he named Melania an ‘expectant widow.’
“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.”
“Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, Donald Trump, Film and TV
Kiesha Dosanjh