Jimmy Kimmel Says FCC Is ‘Coming for Us Again’ as Brendan Carr Issues Demands for Late-Night Hosts and The View

Jimmy Kimmel says the Federal Communications Commission is “coming for us again” — and he’s not sure what it means for the future of political interviews on shows like his.

During his monologue on Thursday, Jan. 22, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host, 58, broke down the FCC’s latest public notice, which he says could force late-night and daytime talk shows to offer “equal airtime” to candidates from opposing parties whenever political figures appear on their programs.

Kimmel’s remarks came a day after FCC chairman Brendan Carr issued a public reminder on X about what he described as broadcasters’ “obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities.” Carr also suggested some programs may have been “ignoring or misreading the law in recent years,” adding that “enforcing the statute passed by congress is not weaponization.”

But Kimmel — along with Stephen Colbert and others — pushed back hard, pointing to a long-standing FCC precedent from 2006. That decision found that The Tonight Show format was exempt from the “equal opportunity” rules, which is why political candidates have appeared on late-night shows and daytime programs such as The View for years without triggering requirements to invite rivals for equivalent screen time.

On Thursday night, Kimmel argued that Carr and the FCC are now trying to undo what he called settled practice. Referring to Carr as “Brendan Cartel,” Kimmel accused the agency of “reinterpreting long agreed-upon rules to stifle us.”

“Sometimes there are 20 people from 20 different parties running for the same spot and if you can’t interview all of them, you can’t interview any of them,” Kimmel said.

He then cited Jay Leno’s 2006 interview with then-California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger — and the ruling that followed, when the FCC decided the appearance was “not subject to those equal-time” requirements.

“That’s how every talk show has operated since then, until this week,” Kimmel said, adding that Carr now claims Jimmy Kimmel Live! “no longer qualified” for that exemption.

“It’s a sneaky little way of keeping viewpoints that aren’t his off air,” Kimmel alleged. “It’s his latest attack on free speech and it’s a joke because this isn’t the ’50s anymore. Back then there were only three major networks.”

He added that, whatever happens next, viewers should recognize it as part of a broader pattern.

“Whatever happens, I want to point it out. It’s another example of this administration trying to squash anyone who doesn’t support them by following ‘the rules…’” Kimmel said. He also joked about the irony of it all, noting that his show has spent years working closely with the FCC’s broadcast standards — “bleeping and blurring the big TV moments of the week, whether they need it or not.”

Kimmel had flagged the issue the night before as well. During his Wednesday, Jan. 21 monologue, he said President Donald Trump’s “minions” at the agency were preparing to make it harder for shows like his and The View to interview politicians the administration doesn’t like.

Colbert echoed that theme on Thursday. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert host described the FCC’s move as an “attempt to silence me, Jimmy and Seth [Meyers].”

“And I’ve got to say one thing to the FCC,” Colbert added. “Hey, I’m flattered you think that appearing on my show has the power to affect politics in any way. I’ve been doing this job for 21 years and let me tell you something, buddy: If our government had turned out the way I had chosen, you would not have the power to make this announcement.”