Note: Kimmel invited Paxton to an interview who apparently refused. If a station offers an interview to a candidate and that candidate chooses to decline it, the station has legally fulfilled its obligation to offer equal opportunity. The opposing candidate can still be interviewed as planned.
Talk shows have long been exempted from “equal time” rules when conducting “bona fide news interviews,” allowing them to book political candidates without bringing on their opponents. But in January, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr directed daytime and late-night TV talk show hosts to offer equal airtime to all political candidates running for a given office.