Jimmy Kimmel’s opponents in the Trump administration really don’t seem to understand how late-night’s relationship with political campaigns works. If they did, Texas State Rep. James Talarico’s planned Thursday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would have occurred without much fanfare. Instead, since the Federal Communications Commission is pressuring ABC and its affiliates on several fronts, Kimmel gave Talarico some of the most valuable promotion available: central placement in his Wednesday night monologue, the most-watched part of any late-night talk show.
The host announced his Talarico interview would not air on ABC but instead be featured on the show’s YouTube channel. Kimmel explained he was doing this out of consideration for local stations nationwide, “especially our ABC affiliates in Texas who would have to deal with this nonsense.”
