Fact Check: Did a judge order YouTube to block Jimmy Kimmel’s interview with James Talarico?
WASHINGTON, DC: A claim that a federal judge ordered YouTube to block Jimmy Kimmel‘s interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico has created a debate online.
The claim comes amid a dispute over the interview, in which Kimmel moved from ABC to YouTube after citing pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Let’s fact-check the claim.
Claim: Judge ordered YouTube to block Jimmy Kimmel’s interview with James Talarico
The rumor originated from an X user who claimed that a federal judge had ordered YouTube to block Jimmy Kimmel’s interview with James Talarico until the 15th District Court could review the FCC’s case.
The user wrote, “According to Communications Commissioner Josephine Barron, the interview was initially blocked from the airwaves for containing ‘monumental lies’ about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, President Trump, and the Republican Party.”
The X user further claimed, “The FCC filed the suit against YouTube, claiming that showing a banned video on its platform still violates the legal code of conduct that ABC skirted by sending the slander to an online platform.” The post also included the quote, “We have to draw the line somewhere.”
The post concluded, “The FCC has had it with the lies. YouTube may be on the internet, but it’s re-broadcast on public stations in 196 markets and therefore subject to the fairness doctrine.”
Fact Check: The claim is false
The claim is false. The @mcafeenew post fabricated the story and reversed what actually happened.
There is also no evidence that a federal judge ordered YouTube to block or remove Kimmel’s interview. Reports through mid-September 2026 show that Kimmel’s team posted the video and that it remained widely available. No credible report shows that a federal judge ordered its removal.
The post also falsely refers to a fictional FCC commissioner named Josephine Barron. The FCC’s current leadership includes Chairman Brendan Carr, Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, and Commissioner Olivia Trusty. There is also no evidence that the FCC filed a lawsuit against YouTube over the interview or that the repealed fairness doctrine applies to the video.
The post’s reference to a “15th District Court” is also unsupported. While ABC and Disney are involved in separate litigation with the FCC over broadcast licensing issues, that case does not involve a court order blocking Kimmel’s YouTube interview with Talarico.
A similar situation happened earlier in 2026 when Stephen Colbert also moved an interview with Talarico to YouTube because of concerns over the FCC’s equal-time rules.
The FCC regulates broadcast stations, not YouTube or other internet platforms in the way described in the post. The fairness doctrine, which the post cites, was repealed decades ago. The relevant rule is the equal-time requirement, which applies to certain appearances by political candidates on broadcast television and radio.
