Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has criticized the Trump-led Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for what he calls ‘dangerous’ forms of cancel culture, following ABC’s decision to move his interview with Jimmy Kimmel to YouTube due to regulatory concerns. According to CNN, ABC pulled the interview out of concern over the FCC’s enforcement of the “equal time” rule, a decades-old regulation requiring broadcast stations to offer airtime to all qualified candidates for public office if one candidate is given free time.

FCC’s Enforcement and Broadcast Rules

The FCC, led by chairman Brendan Carr, has targeted ABC and its parent company, Disney, through various methods. One of these involves the “equal time” rule, which Talarico says is being misapplied. In his case, the rule would require ABC to offer equal airtime to Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton if it allows Talarico to appear on a show. According to CNN, this rule has long been considered inapplicable to late-night and daytime talk shows, particularly for news exemptions.

Earlier this year, the FCC launched a probe of ABC’s “The View” over an alleged equal time violation after Talarico appeared on the show during the Democratic primary. In response, CBS informed Stephen Colbert that he would now have to follow the same rules, a requirement he called “something I have never been asked to do for an interview in the 21 years of this job,” per CNN. In a similar move, Kimmel announced that his Thursday interview with Talarico would air on YouTube instead of ABC’s broadcast platform.

Talarico Condemns Censorship

Talarico has condemned the FCC’s actions as a form of censorship. Speaking to MS NOW, he said, “Government censorship should be a concern to all of us, regardless of our political party,” according to Variety. He described the FCC’s threats against broadcast programs, including “The View,” as “the most dangerous form of cancel culture.”

“People at the top, powerful politicians, powerful media executives, censoring what we watch, what we read, what we say,” Talarico continued. “That, again, should be a concern to everyone who believes in the First Amendment and believes in the freedom of speech.” He added that he still hopes ABC will air the Kimmel interview across its broadcast channels. “I’m still hopeful that we can have this interview on the air,” he said. “So we’ll see what happens tonight.”

YouTube as an Alternative

Because YouTube does not use public airwaves, it is not subject to FCC regulations. Kimmel announced on his show Wednesday night that ABC had decided to preempt his chat with Talarico due to concerns about the FCC, which Variety notes is currently locked in a dispute with ABC over whether “The View” qualifies as a “bona fide news program” exempt from the “equal time” rule.

“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 said on his show. The move to YouTube has been framed by both Talarico and Kimmel as a workaround for what they see as an overreach by the Trump administration’s FCC.