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Stephen Colbert used his February 16 episode of The Late Show to sharply criticize both his own network, CBS, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), after claiming he was prevented from airing an interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, who is running for Senate.
"You know who is not one of my guests tonight? That is Texas State Representative James Talarico," Colbert told his audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater. "He was supposed to be here but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network's lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast." He added that he was also told he could not even mention the cancellation on air.
Colbert explained that CBS' decision came after FCC chairman Brendan Carr issued warnings about the "equal time" rule, which requires broadcasters to provide equal airtime to all candidates if one is featured. Traditionally, late-night talk shows have been exempt from the rule, with past rulings such as Jay Leno's 2006 interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger establishing that talk shows were not subject to equal-time requirements.
Carr, however, recently argued that shows like Colbert's should no longer assume exemption, saying at a January press conference, "If you're fake news, you're not going
to qualify for the bona fide news exemption." Colbert responded on air with a pointed retort: "Sir, you're chairman of the FCC, so FCC you." He went further, claiming, "Donald Trump's administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV."
CBS has not publicly commented on Colbert's claims.
Colbert ultimately posted the interview with Talarico on The Late Show's YouTube channel, noting that FCC rules do not apply to streaming platforms. During the online segment, Talarico accused Republicans of hypocrisy, saying, "This is the party that ran against cancel culture. And now they're trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture. The kind that comes from the top."
He added, "They went after The View because I was on there, they went after Jimmy Kimmel for telling a joke they didn't like, they went after you for telling the truth about Paramount's bribe to Donald Trump. Corporate media executives are selling out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians."
The controversy comes as Colbert prepares to end his long-running late-night program in May. He noted that CBS' decision to block the interview was "for purely financial reasons," referencing the network's earlier statement about his show's cancellation.
Colbert's remarks echo broader concerns about government intimidation of media outlets. FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat on the commission, has previously said Carr's claims were misleading, emphasizing that no new regulations have been adopted. Critics argue that the threats are designed to pressure networks into self-censorship.
