Kimmel Gushes Over Talarico For Using 'The Real Teachings Of Jesus'

Alex Christy
September 11th, 2026 10:03 AM

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To avoid any FCC equal time ramifications, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel begrudgingly put his Thursday interview with Texas Senate James Talarico exclusively on YouTube. However, the actual interview showed why the FCC is taking a closer look at equal time rules because for Talarico it was less of an interview and more of an out-of-state campaign rally. Kimmel’s main point of praise was how Talarico supposedly campaigns on “the real teachings of Jesus,” while also arguing Republicans who quote his nutty statements are spewing “nonsense.”

Kimmel introduced Talarico by suggesting his First Amendment rights under attack while suggesting what he did a decade ago should prove he is an equal opportunist when it comes to interviewing candidates:

I mentioned last night we are being targeted by the FCC for the crime of interviewing political candidates, even though for years we and every other late night talk show have welcomed numerous candidates, including Donald Trump when he was running, he was on the show two times, but now I guess he doesn't like me anymore or the First Amendment, and so the FCC has threatened me or threatened my show or network, even our local ABC stations, because they want to make our editorial decisions for us, which, of course, we cannot accept, and so tonight we are bypassing the public airwaves and hosting this YouTube interview on YouTube even though our government would clearly prefer that we not do it at all.”

If Kimmel had interviewed Talarico last week, the FCC’s 60-day rule would not have applied, but he didn’t because Jimmy Kimmel Live! wanted an extended Labor Day vacation.

 

 

As for the actual interview, Kimmel began by recalling, “This is not the first time you’ve been demoted to YouTube. When you were on Stephen Colbert’s show, this same very same thing happened? Why are they so scared of you?”

According to Talarico, Republicans are scared of him because supporting Ken Paxton is inherently corrupt, “We're not just going up against the most corrupt politician in Texas. We're going up against this entire corrupt system. You may have seen that Elon Musk, the world's first trillionaire, has already dumped millions of dollars to try to defeat us in Texas. MAGA Inc., the president's dark money super PAC, spent $10 million last week to try to defeat us.”

Kimmel later gushed that “I've been watching your videos. I think what you're doing is great. I really do, and you hit on something that I think is very—it resonated with me because you hit on something. It used to be on all of the bumper stickers. It would be ‘What Would Jesus Do’ and, you know, I think Jesus has been co-opted by this MAGA enterprise in this way that is—it makes no sense when you really think about it.”

 

 

He then further congratulated Talarico on his brand of liberalism, “Would Jesus be throwing people into vans and separating them from their children? Would Jesus be taking kids off food stamps? These are not—this is not the Jesus that I learned about growing up and you bring it right back to the Bible, to the real teachings of Jesus, and it is very authentic. I mean, you can feel it—that you know what you're talking about. That you believe what you're talking about, and I think that is so very powerful and good for you for doing that.”

Proving that this wasn’t much of an actual interview, Talarico responded by essentially parroting Kimmel.

As for criticisms of Talarico, Kimmel further oozed, “It seems like the Republicans just cannot—you are bedeviling them in so many ways. They went on this whole thing about you being vegan… They insinuated that you were gay. This whole six genders nonsense. They said you hate Christianity.”

 

 

If it is nonsense, then why has Talarico found the need to run away from those comments and other aspects of his trans activism? Nevertheless, Kimmel later wondered, “You were in—you are currently a seminarian. Is that correct?”

Talarico affirmed that he is while repeating his and Kimmel’s earlier answer about Republicans being bad Christians while suggesting that Trump has intentionally bombed children during the Iran War, “That’s right. Yeah, I'm studying to become a minister like my granddad one day, and he said that I'm—he said I'm disrespecting Jesus. You want to know what actually disrespects Jesus kicking the sick off their health care to give tax cuts to billionaires. You know what actually disrespects Jesus is bombing innocent schoolchildren in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another forever war. That is what disrespects Jesus.”

Kimmel tried to portray this sit-down as an educational interview with a Senate candidate, but it was more of a 20-minute hagiographical promotional exercise. During the regular show on ABC, Kimmel claimed he would love to also sit down with Paxton, but if such a scenario were to come to pass, nobody should be under any illusion; the tone would be the same.

Here is a transcript for the September 10 show:

ABC/YouTube Jimmy Kimmel Live!

9/10/2026

JIMMY KIMMEL: I mentioned last night we are being targeted by the FCC for the crime of interviewing political candidates, even though for years we and every other late night talk show have welcomed numerous candidates, including Donald Trump when he was running, he was on the show two times, but now I guess he doesn't like me anymore or the First Amendment, and so the FCC has threatened me or threatened my show or network, even our local ABC stations, because they want to make our editorial decisions for us, which, of course, we cannot accept, and so tonight we are bypassing the public airwaves and hosting this YouTube interview on YouTube even though our government would clearly prefer that we not do it at all.

So let's meet our guest tonight he's a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in a very red state. He is one of the most interesting people in politics or happy to have them with us from Round Rock, Texas, please welcome James Talarico

…

KIMMEL: This is not the first time you’ve been demoted to YouTube.

JAMES TALARICO: That’s right.

KIMMEL: When you were on Stephen Colbert’s show—

TALARICO: That’s right.

KIMMEL: —this same very same thing happened? Why are they so scared of you?

TALARICO: Well they're worried that we're going to win this race in Texas—

KIMMEL: They are.

TALARICO: —but we are the underdogs until the last vote is counted. We're not just going up against the most corrupt politician in Texas. We're going up against this entire corrupt system. You may have seen that Elon Musk, the world's first trillionaire, has already dumped millions of dollars to try to defeat us in Texas. MAGA Inc., the president's dark money super PAC, spent $10 million last week to try to defeat us.

So, they are terrified of this movement we're building in Texas. Working people coming together across party and race and gender and religion and culture to take on the people at the top who have been screwing us over for far too long now.

KIMMEL: I have to say, it tickles me that it's that they're terrified of you. I mean, no offense but you look like Richie Cunningham. It's like—

TALARICO: I’m not very scary.

KIMMEL: You look like you're running for student council.

TALARICO: That's right. I don't know what about this Boy Scout scares him so much.

KIMMEL: But I've been following you for a long time. I've been watching your videos. I think what you're doing is great. I really do, and you hit on something that I think is very—it resonated with me because you hit on something. It used to be on all of the bumper stickers. It would be “What Would Jesus Do” and, you know, I think Jesus has been co-opted by this MAGA enterprise in this way that is—it makes no sense when you really think about it. 

Would Jesus be throwing people into vans and separating them from their children? Would Jesus be taking kids off food stamps? These are not—this is not the Jesus that I learned about growing up and you bring it right back to the Bible, to the real teachings of Jesus, and it is very authentic. I mean, you can feel it—that you know what you're talking about. That you believe what you're talking about, and I think that is so very powerful and good for you for doing that.

TALARICO: I appreciate that. You know, I think it was Reverend Raphael Warnock who said that Jesus Christ is the most famous victim of identity theft. That the kind of religion that says you can treat people however you want as long as you have a personal relationship with Jesus is an abomination. It is a cancer on the body of Christ. Scripture tells us that you can't love God and hate other people. You can't love God and abuse the immigrant. You can't love God and oppress the poor. You can't love God and bully the outcast.

…

KIMMEL: It seems like the Republicans just cannot—you are bedeviling them in so many ways. They went on this whole thing about you being vegan.

TALARICO: Those are fighting words in Texas, as you know.

KIMMEL: Yeah. Yeah. They insinuated that you were gay. This whole six genders nonsense. They said you hate Christianity.

TALARICO: Yes.

KIMMEL: Which is just crazy and none of it seems to work. It's really I think a testament to the people in Texas that they're seeing this and they're going, “No, I don't buy it. I don't.”

TALARICO: I think people are tired of politics as professional wrestling, right? These like these old guys lathered up in their fake tans throwing corny nicknames at each other. I mean, these nicknames. They don't lower the price of groceries. They don't lower the price of gas. They don't lower the cost of health care. They don't actually improve anybody's life, and that's why I'm in politics.

I mean, the only reason I ran for office, the only reason I'm running for the U.S. Senate is to try to love my neighbor through public policy. Trying to make my neighbors life easier and better and less stressful.

KIMMEL: You're—our friend Donald Trump spoke about you this evening. I don't know if you're aware of this, but—

TALARICO: He talks about me a lot so I don't know if—

DONALD TRUMP: Look at this guy running from Texas he looks like—

LAURA INGRAHAM: Talarico.

TRUMP: Yeah, well, I call him Tal-a-freak-o because he is. He’s a freaky guy. He’s got something wrong with him.

INGRAHAM: He says he’s misspoken or he’s missed the mark on some of the comments.

TRUMP: He’s misspoken on everything. He has no respect for Jesus. He has no respect for religion. All of a sudden, he's a big religious fanatic, you know, he loves meat. He throws up after every time he eats, he gets sick and he throws up all over the place.

KIMMEL: Do you throw up all over the place?

TALARICO: I don't. I don’t. I am excited to announce that we have “I'm a Tal-a-freak-o” T-shirts available on our website jamestalarico.com.

KIMMEL: Will Trump get a cut of that? Does he—I mean in fairness, you should throw him a little something.

TALARICO: Well, it's actually the fastest selling item on our website.

KIMMEL: Is it really?

TALARICO: We're grateful for the president for the nickname. He said that I'm all of a sudden a person of faith. I mean, my granddad was a Baptist preacher in South Texas. I still attend the same church where I was baptized when I was two years old.

KIMMEL: You were in—you are currently a seminarian. Is that correct?

TALARICO: That’s right. Yeah, I'm studying to become a minister like my granddad one day, and he said that I'm—he said I'm disrespecting Jesus.

You want to know what actually disrespects Jesus kicking the sick off their health care to give tax cuts to billionaires. You know what actually disrespects Jesus is bombing innocent schoolchildren in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another forever war. That is what disrespects Jesus.

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