There’s a longstanding FCC rule that says that, during an active political campaign, if a program on broadcast television or radio (not streaming or cable) interviews a political candidate, it must offer equal time to that candidate’s opponent. Most people are aware of this rule.
There has long been an exception where it involves a “bona fide news interview, regular newscast, documentary, or on-the-spot coverage of a news event.” For decades, late-night and daytime talk shows have fallen under this exemption because interviews with political candidates are considered newsworthy. That understanding was essentially cemented in 2006, when the FCC officially granted an exemption to Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show.
Yesterday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested that late-night talk shows (like Jimmy Kimmel Live!) and daytime talk shows (like The View) should no longer automatically fall under this exception. Basically, Carr argued that talk shows would need to explicitly seek an exemption each time they interview a political candidate and, if it’s not granted, offer that candidate’s opponent equal time.
So, for instance, if Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Jasmine Crockett, who is running for Senate in Texas, he would have to offer equal time to her opponent, Ted Cruz.
And Brendan Carr thinks this is a good idea?
The reality is that Jimmy Kimmel would only have to offer equal time to Ted Cruz. There’s no obligation for Cruz to accept. But I really wish he would. Because I would genuinely love to see a parade of Republican bozos appear on the programs of Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers, or even The View. They would get destroyed. Why would any Republican want to appear on a television program they know is going to be openly hostile toward them? Why would they risk a viral clip of themselves bumbling through a defense of, say, the president’s wildly unpopular attempt to take over Greenland?
Republicans don’t appear on late-night talk shows now for exactly that reason. This would just give Jimmy Kimmel more ammunition to say, “Well, I invited Ted Cruz on, but he declined because he was scared I’d embarrass him.” And if Ted Cruz did appear, Kimmel would have a field day.
In other words: Bring it on.
