FCC Chairman Brendan Carr accuses James Talarico of running a 'hoax' over equal time statute

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr accused Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico of banking on public confusion over the equal time statute to drive clicks and donations.

Last week, Talarico appeared on ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," but the liberal late-night host insisted the interview had to air on YouTube, instead of broadcast television, because the FCC has "threatened" the network.

The White House previously said Kimmel was "play-acting," because the FCC did not threaten him regarding interviewing Talarico, or any other candidate.

Carr responded on Saturday to an account on X that complained Talarico was relegated to YouTube, but Sen.

Ted Cruz , R-Texas, was allowed to appear on ESPN’s "College Gameday." The chairman blasted Talarico, noting that the Equal Time statute doesn’t apply to ESPN and does not prohibit anyone from interviewing anyone on broadcast TV.

KIMMEL REVEALS HE'S INTERVIEWING JAMES TALARICO UNDER 'UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES,' CITING FCC THREATS "It is about more speech, not less.

Congress wanted to ensure that voters would decide elections, not media gatekeepers picking winners and losers by providing preferential airtime to some candidates and not others.

Indeed, when the statute applies, it simply requires broadcast stations to offer comparable time and placement.

And comparable does not necessarily mean an interview by the same person on the same program either," Carr wrote .

"This ties back to Talarico," Carr continued.

"He’s just running the same hoax he did a few months ago on Colbert for the purpose of getting clicks and donations — he’s banking on people not understanding the statute or operating as partisan lemmings." DEMOCRATIC REP TELLS ABC, CBS TO 'GROW A SPINE' AFTER KIMMEL ANNOUNCES ALTERNATIVE TALARICO INTERVIEW Former late-night host Stephen Colbert interviewed Talarico in February, ahead of the Texas Senate primary, in which he was competing 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 them from airing the interview.