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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) head Brendan Carr has demanded that late-night and daytime TV hosts give equal time to political candidates after accusations of anti-Republican and anti-Trump bias.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: FCC Chair Brendan Carr, Jimmy Kimmel, Steven Colbert, Donald J. Trump, late-night and daytime TV hosts.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Carr announced the move on X on Wednesday, January 21.
💬KEY QUOTE: “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.” – Brendan Carr.
🎯IMPACT: Broadcasters could now face penalties for not giving equal airtime to all sides of political debates.
IN FULL
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chief Brendan Carr issued new regulatory guidance on January 21, warning broadcasters that late-night and daytime talk shows must comply with federal equal time rules when featuring political candidates in a move to combat the clear leftist bias among many TV hosts. The guidance directs broadcast stations to ensure that political candidates are given equal opportunities on programs such as morning shows and late-night comedy, pushing back on what Carr described as a long-standing assumption that such shows automatically qualify as “bona fide news” programming.
Carr argued that this exemption has been stretched to cover content driven by partisan intent. “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 in a post on X. “Today, the FCC reminded them of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities.”
Carr has previously cited ABC’s daytime program The View as an example of a show that could face scrutiny, and his comments follow earlier criticism of Jimmy Kimmel Live! On the eve of the 2024 election, Carr also accused Saturday Night Live of skirting equal time requirements when it featured then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, leading NBC to provide President Donald J. Trump airtime during NASCAR and NFL broadcasts.
Conservative attorney Daniel Suhr, who heads the Center for American Rights and has supported Carr’s agenda, praised the move and said it could apply broadly to late-night television. “Daytime TV like [The View] and late night shows like [Jimmy Kimmel Live!] & [The Late Show With Stephen Colbert] have consistently featured only Democratic candidates while shutting out Republicans,” Suhr wrote on X. “This [FCC] notice is an important step toward accountability for these legacy network shows.”
The guidance arrives amid heightened controversy surrounding late-night hosts. In recent years, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have repeatedly clashed with Trump, with Colbert once telling the President to “go f**k yourself.” Kimmel has also faced mounting scrutiny, including a temporary suspension by ABC following backlash over comments about the murder of Charlie Kirk, implying conservatives were responsible for it.
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