Jimmy Kimmel slams Trump over threats to stop ABC airing Democratic candidate interview
Jimmy Kimmel slams Trump over threats to stop ABC airing Democratic candidate interview
Angelica CheyenneThu, September 10, 2026 at 5:39 AM UTC
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Jimmy Kimmel explained why his interview wouldn't air on Thursday night -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
Jimmy Kimmel opened up about Donald Trump and his ally, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, constantly targeting his ABC show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, during Wednesday night's episode of his late-night program.
During his opening monologue on September 9, not only did Kimmel, 58, criticize the first-ever Republican convention held before the upcoming midterm elections, but he also delved into his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, constantly being under fire from the Trump administration.
"A large number of Republican lawmakers are not coming to the convention due to scheduling conflicts, and also not wanting be anywhere near [Trump] right now. They're very nervous about the midterms, and rightly so... they're in danger of losing a Senate seat in Texas," Kimmel said of the GOP politicians who skipped the convention despite it being helmed by the 80-year-old president.
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Kimmel then announced that he would soon be interviewing 2026 U.S. Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico, 37, on his long-running series. "Tomorrow night, I'll be interviewing James Talarico... under unusual circumstances. You know for a lot of years, for the whole 20 years plus of our show in fact, I've been interviewing Americans running for office with no problem at all," he explained before he listed the politicians he interviewed, including Trump.
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Kimmel's upcoming interview with James Talarico will only be on YouTube -Credit:AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Kimmel then recalled interviewing Trump on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2015 when he was campaigning for his first term, where he served as president from 2016 until 2020.
"I interviewed Donald Trump when he was running for president in 2015, and that time when he was the one sitting next to me, he seemed to haave no problem with me the idea of talk show hosts interviewing candidates," Kimmel revealed.
He continued, "In fact he was very eager to comeback for another interview, which he did just before he became the [presidential] nominee in 2016," noting that "for some reason...something has changed."
Kimmel then detailed how much that he, his show, and the show's network, ABC has been "threatened" by the president since he took office.
Kimmel also detailed the 'threats' he's received from the Trump administration
"Now that [Trump] is president, his FCC has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened out network, ABC, our affiliates, local stations based on simple, traditional, editorial decisions, guest bookings, it would seem they don't like," Kimmel expressed.
To avoid being embroiled in another battle with Trump's administration, he shared that his interview with Talarico wouldn't be included in Thursday, September 10, night's broadcast, but it would be accessible on the official Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube page.
"So out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense. My interview tomorrow with James Talarico will not air on television," Kimmel shared. "It will be posted on YouTube instead. It will not be on TV...“In the America we live in right now, that is the best that we can do until November.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
