Jimmy Kimmel went hard at President Donald Trump and his “little ferret in the FCC,” Brendan Carr, for their latest ruling on when late-night and daytime talk shows must provide opposing political candidates with equal airtime.
On Jan. 21, the Federal Communications Commission (FFC) issued a statement saying that talk shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The View will be obligated to provide equal time to opposing political candidates if they have politicians on their shows, in events beyond what would be considered “bona fide news.”
The FCC said this statutory requirement is “to ensure that no legally qualified candidate for office is unfairly given less access to the public airwaves than their opponent.”
The ruling is a shift from an amendment to the Communications Act of 1934. The act was first amended in 1959 to exempt newscasts, news documentaries, and news interviews from having to offer equal opportunities for all qualified candidates to appear on broadcasts. Now, the FCC is making a switch back.
Kimmel painstakingly explained the Communications Act in his opening monologue, warning, “Trump and his Brendan Carr-tel is coming for us again.” He then broke down the history of these limitations, beginning with the 1927 Radio Act, which required radio broadcasters to provide equal airtime to all legally qualified candidates.
“If you couldn’t... interview all of them, then you can’t interview any of them,” Kimmel explained, before an amendment to the Communications Act in 1959 “allowed ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. to interview one candidate without having to interview all of them.”
Kimmel delved further into the technicalities of this precedent, referencing the infamous 2006 incident in which host Jay Leno was accused of bias after interviewing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as a guest on his show, without giving his Democratic opponent airtime. The opponent filed a complaint with the FCC, but it was denied.
“They ruled that Arnold appearing on Leno—this was a bona fide news interview, even though it was a talk show and therefore not subject to those equal time rules. And that’s how every talk show has operated since then until this week," Kimmel continued. “When Trump’s little ferret in the FCC, Brendan Carr, who, as you know, is doing everything he can to shut us up the easy way or the hard way, is trying to say we no longer qualify for the bona fide news exemption when it comes to interviewing candidates.”
Kimmel added that this is a “sneaky little way” of keeping viewpoints that aren’t Trump’s off the air. “It’s his latest attack on free speech,” Kimmel said somberly.
The late-night host is no stranger to conflict with MAGA sympathizers and with Donald Trump himself. In September, Kimmel’s show was pulled off the air by ABC after his comments on Charlie Kirk’s killing drew ire from the FCC and Brendan Carr himself. The late-night host returned to television that same month, delivering his most-watched monologue ever.
“We’ll find out,” Kimmel said on Thursday night’s episode. “I guess whatever happens, I want to just point it out because it is another example of this administration trying to squash anyone who doesn’t support them by following the rules.”
Stephen Colbert also addressed the FCC on his show on Thursday, saying, “This is clearly an attempt to silence me, Jimmy, and Seth,” referencing fellow late-night hosts Kimmel and Seth Meyers.
“Hey, I’m flattered you think that appearing on my show has the power to affect politics in any way,” Colbert continued, speaking directly to the FCC. “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.”
