• FCC issued new guidance Wednesday requiring equal time for political candidates on late-night and daytime talk shows
• Kimmel told audience he is once again being threatened by the FCC five months after September suspension
• Host responded by staging mock interview with Trump's body parts in defiance of regulatory pressure

LOS ANGELES (TDR) — Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel responded to new federal regulatory threats Wednesday evening by staging an outrageous mock interview with President Donald Trump's body parts, defiantly booking a political guest despite fresh FCC guidance targeting entertainment programs that feature politicians.

The Federal Communications Commission issued a public notice Wednesday declaring that broadcast television stations must provide equal time to opposing political candidates when entertainment shows feature politicians, potentially ending longstanding exemptions for late-night and daytime talk shows.

"For real, we are once again getting threatened by the FCC," Kimmel told his audience, referencing his September suspension over comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination.

The comedian noted Trump found time to promote the FCC action on Truth Social while attending crucial international meetings in Switzerland.

"I invited President Trump to appear on our show tonight, FCC be damned," Kimmel declared. "Unfortunately, his head was unavailable to talk, but we were able to book another part of his body."

The segment featured Kimmel conducting a satirical interview with Trump's "badly bruised right hand" and presidential cankle, mocking the regulatory pressure while technically complying by featuring a political guest.

FCC Reverses Decades Of Precedent

The FCC Media Bureau issued an unsigned four-page document Wednesday stating broadcast stations would be obligated to provide equal opportunities to opposing candidates if a politician's appearance falls short of a "bona fide news" event.

"A program that is motivated by partisan purposes, for example, would not be entitled to an exemption under longstanding FCC precedent," the Media Bureau stated.

The guidance represents a significant departure from a 2006 FCC decision that granted late-night shows exemption from equal time rules. That ruling determined "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" qualified as a bona fide news interview when hosting then-California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wrote on X that legacy television networks had assumed their talk shows qualify as bona fide news programs despite partisan political purposes.

"For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night & daytime talk shows qualify as 'bona fide news' programs - even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes," Carr wrote. "Today, the FCC reminded them of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities."

The agency encouraged broadcasters to seek FCC opinions to ensure compliance, an advisory likely to raise anxiety among television stations and potentially prompt scrutiny of shows delving into politics.

Trump Amplifies FCC Action

President Trump shared a Los Angeles Times report on Truth Social detailing how the FCC is targeting ABC's "The View" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over equal time rules. Carr shared a screenshot of Trump's post on X.

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Trump has feuded with critical talk show hosts for years, celebrating CBS parent Paramount's decision to end "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" last summer and hailing ABC's September decision to temporarily suspend "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"They give me only bad publicity or press," Trump told reporters in September. "I mean, they're getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away."

The president has publicly called on NBC to fire late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. Trump has repeatedly argued the FCC should revoke broadcast licenses for networks that consistently criticize him.

Conservative Groups Claim Victory

Daniel Suhr, president of the conservative Center for American Rights, praised the FCC action as putting Hollywood hosts on notice.

"This important action puts Hollywood hosts and network executives on notice — they can no longer shower Democrats with free airtime while shutting out Republicans," Suhr said in a statement.

The organization has lodged several complaints with the FCC about alleged media bias. Suhr is among the legal architects of Carr's plan to fight media bias, having previously argued that network late-night shows are relentlessly left-wing.

A Media Research Center study found "The View" had 128 liberal guests throughout 2025 while only inviting two conservatives. The organization found that while dozens of Democrats appeared on liberal late-night hosts' programs in 2025, zero Republicans were given such platforms.

Democratic Commissioner Condemns Guidance

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the commission's only Democrat, sharply criticized the announcement as escalating the agency's campaign to censor and control speech.

"The FCC has not adopted any new regulation, interpretation, or Commission-level policy altering the long-standing news exemption or equal time framework," Gomez said in a statement.

She argued the notice was misleading since the FCC has not formally changed any rules through the typical process involving public comment and commissioner votes.

"Broadcasters should not feel pressured to water down, sanitize, or avoid critical coverage out of fear of regulatory retaliation," Gomez said.

"For decades, the Commission has recognized that bona fide news interviews, late-night programs, and daytime news shows are entitled to editorial discretion based on newsworthiness, not political favoritism," she added.

Gomez emphasized that nothing has fundamentally changed with respect to political broadcasting rules and that the First Amendment does not yield to government intimidation.

September Suspension Casts Long Shadow

The new guidance comes five months after Carr publicly threatened ABC affiliates over Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination, leading to the host's weeklong suspension in September.

Hours before ABC temporarily took Kimmel off the air, Carr appeared on a conservative podcast urging Disney to take action against the comedian.

"When we see stuff like this, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said at the time. "These companies can find ways to change conduct, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

Those comments drew bipartisan criticism, with Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas arguing Carr overstepped his authority.

"I gotta say, that's right out of 'Goodfellas.' That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar, going, 'nice bar you have here, it'd be a shame if something happened to it,'" Cruz said of Carr's remarks, mimicking a mob boss's accent.

Within hours of Carr's comments, broadcast station owners Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" from their ABC-affiliated stations. ABC suspended the program shortly thereafter.

Entertainment industry unions including SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America and the American Federation of Musicians issued statements condemning the suspension as state censorship and a danger to free speech.

"The FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals," the American Federation of Musicians stated, calling Carr's actions "state censorship."

Kimmel returned to the air six days later following widespread public outcry. His September 23 return episode drew 6.26 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in the show's history.

Free Speech Experts Raise Alarms

Constitutional scholars and free speech advocates have repeatedly condemned the FCC's actions as government coercion violating First Amendment protections.

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The American Civil Liberties Union issued a letter cosigned by 475 artists condemning government attempts to silence critics through threats to livelihoods.

"In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board," the ACLU letter stated. "This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees."

Ronnie London, general counsel with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called Carr's September actions a classic case of unconstitutional jawboning.

Legal experts have pointed to the 2024 Supreme Court decision National Rifle Association v. Vullo, in which justices unanimously ruled that a regulator's attempts to discourage companies from doing business with the NRA amounted to coercion and violated the First Amendment.

Guidance Applies Only To Broadcast Television

The FCC guidance does not apply to cable news programs, only shows running on broadcast television subject to FCC enforcement actions.

Carr has previously opened investigations into ABC-parent Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp., which owns NBCUniversal. The chairman withheld approval of CBS parent Paramount's sale to Skydance until Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit several legal observers had deemed frivolous.

Since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, the FCC has stepped up involvement in overseeing content, representing a significant departure from past practice.

The agency's traditional position, as stated on its website, holds that the public interest is best served by permitting free expression of views.

"Rather than suppress speech, communications law and policy seeks to encourage responsive 'counter-speech' from others," the FCC website states. "Following this principle ensures that the most diverse and opposing opinions will be expressed, even though some views or expressions may be highly offensive."

Networks Decline Comment

ABC did not respond to media requests for comment on the FCC's notice. NBC and CBS, which also air late-night shows criticized by Trump, declined to comment.

The guidance leaves broadcasters facing uncertainty about how to handle political guests with midterm elections approaching this year. While shows would not necessarily have to give opponents equal time on the same program, networks may have to provide free commercial time elsewhere.

Will entertainment shows curtail political coverage under regulatory pressure, or will hosts like Kimmel continue defying federal threats to free expression?

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