Jimmy Kimmel Live! was set to host politician James Talarico. However, the moment was reportedly pulled, causing it to be uploaded online instead. Following this, the moment soon went viral, with many sharing their reactions to the story.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! Recently Shared An Interview Featuring James Talarico On Its YouTube Channel
Talarico is an American politician and educator. He has served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2018.
In addition, Talarico is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas. The election, which will be held on November 3, 2026, also sees state attorney general Ken Paxton as the Republican nominee.
Talarico was set to appear on Jimmy Kimmel’s late show. However, after it was pulled from airtime, Kimmel uploaded his conversation with Talarico on YouTube. The conversation was released with the title, “Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with James Talarico That the FCC Doesn’t Want You to See.”
Kimmel started the discussion noting that the interview was having an unusual format. The host claimed that the FCC allegedly threatened ABC over the decision to host Talarico.
This Wasn’t The First Time A Late Night Interview Hosting Talarico Had To Go To YouTube
As Kimmel shared, “I mentioned last night that we are being targeted by the FCC for the crime of interviewing political candidates, even though for years we and every other late-night talk show have welcomed numerous candidates, including Donald Trump. But now I guess he doesn’t like me anymore, or the First Amendment. And so the FCC has threatened me, my show, our network, even our local ABC stations, because they want to make our editorial decisions for us, which of course we cannot accept.”
Kimmel noted that a similar incident occurred when Colbert tried to host Talarico. This similarly led to the interview being uploaded to YouTube. Kimmel then asked, “Why are they so scared of you?” For his part, Talarico shared, “Well, they’re worried that we’re going to win this race in Texas… We’re going up against this entire corrupt system.”
With the conversation being uploaded to YouTube, viewers were able to share their reactions to the moment. Many noted that the censorship might have actually increased interest in the moment and the ensuing viewership. A few admitted that this was the case for them. Some comments included:
- “Who else watched this BECAUSE they didn’t want us to?”
- “MILLIONS MORE WILL VIEW THIS BECAUSE OF THE CENSORSHIP PUBLICITY!”
- “Here to watch due to the government not wanting us to see. I love a good rebellion.”
- “Probably wouldn’t have watched this had they not gone out of their way to censor this.”
- “I’m so glad the FCC made this interview more noteworthy. I would have missed it otherwise.”
What is your reaction to this recent discussion? Have you been following this story? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.