# Kimmel's pulled interview found a bigger stage

> ABC wouldn't air Jimmy Kimmel's talk with a Texas Senate candidate, so YouTube gave it 5 million views in a day.
- Title: Kimmel's pulled interview found a bigger stage · Variety
- Summary: ABC wouldn't air Jimmy Kimmel's talk with a Texas Senate candidate, so YouTube gave it 5 million views in a day. Pulling a segment off broadcast no longer…
- Keywords: media, late night, politics, youtube, fcc, entertainment, culture, Kimmel's, pulled, interview, found, bigger
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-james-talarico-interview-youtube-views-1236857569
- Author: Selome Hailu
- Published: 2026-09-12T03:15:43+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: media, late night, politics, youtube, fcc, entertainment, culture
## Five million in a day
Jimmy Kimmel's interview with James Talarico passed 5 million YouTube views within 24 hours of going up.
## The guest who got cut
Talarico is the Texas Democrat running for the U.S. Senate. His sit-down was booked, taped, and then kept off the air.
## Why it never aired
Kimmel told viewers Wednesday night that threats from Donald Trump's FCC against ABC's affiliate stations were the reason.
## Protecting the affiliates
The stations, not the network, were the pressure point. Kimmel framed the decision as shielding local broadcasters in Texas from the fallout.

> Out of consideration for our local stations, especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense
## Said out loud on air
Rather than quietly dropping the segment, Kimmel announced the spike to his television audience and told them where to find it.

> It will be posted on YouTube instead. It will not be on TV.
## Censorship as promotion
A segment blocked from broadcast reached millions anyway. The attempt to keep it off television is what made people go looking for it.
## Key takeaway

Pulling a segment off broadcast no longer buries it. The pressure campaign handed the interview a bigger audience than television would have.