‘The View’ declines to address reported sidelining of Jimmy Kimmel amid FCC attention and affiliate pressure

“The View” did not discuss reports that ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was sidelined following pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and ABC affiliates, despite covering other political topics on its shows later that week.

On Wednesday, news of Kimmel’s sidelining broke; on Thursday’s episode of “The View,” moderator Whoopi Goldberg began by marking co-host Sara Haines’ birthday before the panel aired a lengthy clip of testimony by Kash Patel before Congress and then moved on without mentioning Kimmel. The topic did not come up on Friday either.

The restraint follows past instances in which the program directly engaged news involving Donald Trump; for example, Barbara Walters — who created the show and led its panel — once returned from vacation during a feud between Rosie O’Donnell and Trump to call him “that poor, pathetic man.”

The show’s apparent avoidance comes as powerful station groups that own ABC affiliates, including Sinclair and Nexstar, have the ability to refuse to broadcast programming, which could affect “The View.” On Thursday, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said the commission might “look into ‘The View.’” If the program’s designation as a news show were removed, it would be required to comply with an equal-time rule mandating equivalent access for political parties.

“The View” has historically booked both Democratic and Republican guests. Goldberg has said in an interview that, at 69 years old, she does not believe she can afford to retire.