Colbert Blames FCC for Censorship of Talarico Interview
On February 17, lawyers for CBS stated that Stephen Colbert, host of the Late Show, accused the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of not airing an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.
Colbert shared the news on Monday night, explaining that his network prevented any mention of the interview not airing on the show.
“My network obviously doesn’t want me to talk about this, so let’s talk about this,” Colbert remarked, according to reports.
He criticized FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for what he described as hypocrisy regarding the chairman’s desire to eliminate the FCC’s equal time exemption for late-night television programs.
Colbert noted, “[President] Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence people who say bad things about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV.”
He humorously added, “He’s like a toddler who watches too much TV. He gets cranky and drops things in his diaper.”
Colbert highlighted that fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was especially affected by the FCC after Trump suggested Kimmel should be dismissed for allegedly misrepresenting a murder suspect’s support for the president.
Instead of airing the pre-recorded interview, Colbert’s team opted to upload it to YouTube, as federal regulations mandating equal time for political candidates don’t apply to online platforms.
Before the YouTube segment, Colbert informed viewers that it would not be shown on CBS due to an ongoing FCC investigation regarding Talarico’s recent appearance on ABC’s “The View.”
Talarico, a Texas state representative, is running against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. He is also among candidates from Texas competing for the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
The equal time regulations enforced by the FCC stipulate that stations must provide equivalent airtime to registered political candidates, with exceptions for news coverage, daytime programs, and late-night talk shows.
In January, Kerr labeled programs similar to Colbert’s as “fake news” and indicated they could be required to adhere to equal time rules.
While breaches of the equal time rules could incur fines or lost broadcast licenses, violators often face obligations to provide equal airtime to relevant political candidates.
