In the almost 30 years that The View has been a mainstay of ABC’s morning lineup, political candidates have been common guests on the popular talk show. That isn’t the case these days, as the occasionally controversial show has backed way off booking politicians running for office in the 2026 election cycle. This may stem from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr’s announcement that the agency would investigate the show for violations of the “equal time rule.” Here’s what's going on.
The FCC Announcement Brought Things To A Head
According to a report in Semafor, The View has not booked any candidates running in competitive races in 2026 since February, when Carr made the announcement. The equal time rule, which dates back to the creation of the FCC in the 1930s, has long exempted news programs (and even late-night shows) from the rule, meaning that shows like The View have historically been free to invite candidates onto the show without worrying about that candidate's opponents.
The FCC under Carr has been aggressive in its stand against news shows like The View, arguing that it, like the late-night shows it has also targeted, is not news, but entertainment. That means it and the others would be subject to the rule. ABC has pushed back, but in the meantime, according to this report, The View has avoided drawing more attention to itself as it and the network deal with the inquiry.
That means that while the show has featured politicians like Vice President JD Vance (who drew a large audience in June), Corey Booker (who doesn’t have an opponent in 2026), and others, they have not booked candidates in high-profile races, like James Talarico in Texas, Susan Collins in Maine, and others. An appearance by Talarico on Late Night With Stephen Colbert drew the ire of Carr and the FCC back in February.
ABC Has Dealt With This Often
This isn’t the first time that Carr’s FCC has taken notice of network programming’s booking of political guests, but The View occupies a unique space here. ABC argues that it is a news program. As a news show, it shouldn’t be held to the same standards as other, non-news programming. ABC maintains that this is a settled issue, saying a 2002 ruling by the FCC exempted the show from the rule.
ABC, which is owned by Disney, has been a frequent target of Carr and the FCC under the Trump administration, especially The View and Jimmy Kimmel Live! While the network and the FCC didn’t comment on this report by Semafor, The View has been pushing back hard on the argument that it isn’t a news show. Still, it seems at least for the time being, they are steering clear of pushing the FCC on the matter.
