Democratic rep tells ABC, CBS to 'grow a spine' after Kimmel announces alternative Talarico interview

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., attacked ABC, CBS and other networks in a pair of deleted X posts Thursday after hearing reports about Jimmy Kimmel's upcoming interview with Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.

The late-night host announced Wednesday night he would be interviewing Talarico. 

But, out of concern for the FCC under President Donald Trump, he added that he would be releasing the interview on YouTube instead of airing it on his show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Lieu accused ABC and other networks, like CBS, of "bending the knee" to authoritarians by refusing to air interviews of elected officials.

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"Dear @ABC, @CBS and other networks: Grow a f---ing spine. Air whatever interviews with elected officials you want. You will win in court. Bending the knee to an authoritarian Administration only makes things worse. I assume you will now never air an interview of Trump as well?" Lieu wrote.

"You know what else you can do @ABC and @CBS? Offer Ken Paxton the opportunity to come onto late night talk shows where the hosts can legitimately skewer Paxton by asking him about all his scandals. But instead you groveled and chose the path of self-censorship. Shameful."

Fox News Digital reached out to ABC, CBS and Lieu's office for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Kimmel similarly accused the FCC of targeting his show and ABC based on "guest bookings it would seem they don’t like."

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"Now that he’s president, his FCC has threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates, our local stations, based on traditional simple editorial decisions, guest bookings it would seem they don’t like," Kimmel said.

"And, so, out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who have to deal with this nonsense, my interview tomorrow with James Talarico will not air on television. It will be posted on YouTube instead. It will not be on TV."

The situation was reminiscent of former late-night host Stephen Colbert's interview with Talarico ahead of the Texas Senate primary, in which Talarico competed against Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Colbert's show, which has since been canceled, did not air the interview with Talarico and only posted it to the show's YouTube channel in February. Colbert announced at the time that CBS had stopped the show from airing the interview.

However, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr clarified to Fox News at the time that the interview would have potentially violated the equal-time rule, which requires broadcast stations to provide equal opportunities to opposing political candidates during an election season.

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In a comment to Fox News Digital, Curtis Houck, managing editor at NewsBusters, suggested Kimmel could land in "hot water" for his stunt to move around the equal-time rule and avoid speaking with Talarico's GOP opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

"Jimmy Kimmel thinks he's being cute or even brave by thumbing his nose at the FCC, but he's likely to end up in hot water for this. The equal time rules are what they are," Houck said.

"Kimmel and his clapping seals in the liberal, elitist media are telling on themselves when they try to explain away the record of Kimmel and his fellow network late-night hosts as virulent partisans with guest disparities that can only be rivaled by ABC's ‘The View.’" 

Fox News Digital also reached out to the FCC and Talarico and Paxton's respective campaigns for comment.