Curtis Sliwa demands equal time from ABC with same ‘town hall’ event offered to Zohran Mamdani

Republican mayoral contender Curtis Sliwa is pressing for equal airtime after his Democratic opponent abandoned a TV “town hall” in a gesture he claims is a “political statement” regarding comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.

The leading Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani opted out of the town hall as a demonstration against the decision taken by the parent company to suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show following his remarks subsequent to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Sliwa, who established the vigilante organization known as the Guardian Angels, dispatched a pointed letter on Tuesday calling for the same opportunity to partake in a town hall after Mamdani’s campaign announced their readiness to reschedule since “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is back on air.

“Since that coverage cannot be classified as bona fide news, it obliges you to provide me with equal opportunity under the same conditions,” Sliwa articulated in his letter addressed to Robert Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and Marilú Gálvez, president & GM of WABC-TV.

“That entails an equivalent chance to present to a similar audience, under analogous format and duration,” he elaborated, referencing the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s equal time stipulations.

“As a candidate from a major party, my eligibility for equal time as per FCC regulations stands undisputed.”

Sliwa’s campaign reported that ABC proposed a “sitdown” interview with news anchor Bill Ritter rather than the preferred town hall arrangement.

“That is what they presented to us, nothing else. It’s set for October, which is the final stretch before the election,” remarked Sliwa’s representative, Rob Cole.

The correspondence appeared merely a day after Mamdani disclosed his choice to forgo the WABC-TV event in opposition to Kimmel’s suspension regarding comments linking Kirk’s assassination to the “MAGA gang,” whom he accused of attempting to “capitalize on the incident.”

“Irrespective of your sentiments towards Jimmy Kimmel, today’s ruling is a win for free speech. We have reached out to WABC to rearrange the town hall,” Mamdani expressed in a statement on Monday following Kimmel’s reinstatement on television.

A new date for Mamdani’s town hall remains undetermined, which was initially scheduled for Thursday.

Sliwa requested ABC disclose the specifics of Mamdani’s appearance arrangement and to “offer similar promotional efforts to foster fairness.”

However, later on Tuesday, ABC-TV suggested to the Post that there had likely been a “miscommunication,” asserting that no town hall sessions would be conducted with Mamdani or any mayoral candidates.

Instead, the station extended an offer to each campaign to join “Up Close with Bill Ritter” to engage with viewer questions.

Sliwa’s campaign accepted the invitation on Tuesday morning, according to WABC-TV.

Cole, Sliwa’s adviser, mentioned that no agreements had been finalized.

Furthermore, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo’s campaign expressed that the station informed the former governor that the town hall format was replaced with studio interviews.