Colbert Says CBS Wouldn’t Air His Interview With Texas Democrat Due to FCC Concerns

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Stephen Colbert claims CBS blocked him from airing an interview with James Talarico, a Texas state representative running for Senate, because the network worried about potential issues with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Colbert explained that the network’s lawyers personally called to explicitly forbid them from having a certain guest on the show, as he stated at the beginning of Monday night’s episode.

Someone vaguely told me I wasn’t allowed to have a particular guest on my show, and even said I couldn’t acknowledge that I’d asked. Since my network seems determined to avoid discussing it, I’m going to talk about it now.

Colbert explained that his legal team issued the directive after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr released new guidelines about broadcasting rules in January.

TIME has contacted CBS and its parent company, Paramount, for comment. 

The FCC has a rule requiring TV and radio stations to give all political candidates the same amount of airtime if any of their opponents appear on a broadcast during an election. However, this rule generally doesn’t apply to interviews on talk shows or news programs.

Carr’s guidance published in January, however, sought to narrow this exemption for talk shows. 

According to FCC Commissioner Carr, the agency hasn’t seen any proof that current interviews on daytime or late-night talk shows qualify as legitimate news. He also pointed out that programs driven by political bias wouldn’t be exempt from FCC regulations, implying some shows may be motivated by partisan agendas.

Colbert hit out at Carr and President Donald Trump on Monday’s episode.

He accused Carr of being driven by political bias, stating plainly that the Trump administration is trying to suppress any negative commentary about the former president on television, since Trump reportedly spent a lot of time watching TV.

Instead of showing the interview on TV with limitations, Colbert’s team made the full conversation with Talarico available on the show’s YouTube channel. I was really glad they did that – it felt like we got to hear everything without any cuts or edits.

Colbert began his interview with Talarico by pointing out that viewers likely discovered them through YouTube and other online platforms.

According to Talarico, Donald Trump seems concerned that Texas might switch to voting for Democrats in the upcoming November midterm elections. Talarico pointed out the irony that the party which previously opposed ‘cancel culture’ is now attempting to dictate what people watch, say, and read, calling it a particularly dangerous form of censorship because it’s coming from those in power.

Talarico mentioned the TV show The View after reports surfaced earlier this month that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was looking into an interview with a Texas state representative. The concern was whether the interview violated the rule requiring equal airtime for opposing viewpoints. However, TIME has not been able to confirm whether the FCC actually launched an investigation.

TIME has reached out to the FCC for comment.

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the only Democrat on the commission, strongly criticized the decision to not air Stephen Colbert’s interview with Talarico. She described it as a worrying sign of companies giving in to pressure from the current administration, which she believes is trying to limit and control what people can say.

She stated that the FCC doesn’t have the legal right to influence broadcasters for political reasons or discourage free speech. She also emphasized that CBS has the First Amendment right to decide which interviews to broadcast, making their decision to give in to political pressure particularly upsetting.

Talarico is a Democrat running for U.S. Senator in Texas, and the primary election will be held on March 3rd. In 2024, Republican Ted Cruz won the Senate seat in Texas, receiving 53% of the vote.

As Stephen Colbert continues hosting The Late Show, it’s hard not to notice the irony of him speaking out about censorship. The show, sadly, won’t be around much longer – CBS cancelled it last July, citing financial difficulties. It feels particularly poignant now, as we’re in the final stretch of what’s been a really important voice in late-night television.

Many people, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, questioned why the news was released when it was. This came just days after Stephen Colbert discussed a $16 million settlement CBS’ parent company, Paramount, had paid to Donald Trump. The settlement stemmed from editing a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Colbert called the settlement a “bribe,” suggesting it was connected to Paramount’s potential sale to Skydance Media, which needed approval from the Trump Administration.

Colbert’s final episode is due to air on May 21.

As a huge movie and TV fan, I saw that Trump was really pleased when that show got canceled. He even said he hopes other late-night shows, especially Jimmy Kimmel’s – they’ve had their differences for years – will get canceled too. It’s definitely a strong opinion!

That hope was realized for a brief period in September last year. 

Jimmy Kimmel criticized Donald Trump’s reaction to a reporter’s question about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel said Trump’s behavior – specifically pointing to White House construction while answering the question – seemed more like a child mourning a pet than a mature expression of grief. He also accused Trump’s supporters of trying to gain political advantage from Kirk’s death.

ABC quickly announced it was cancelling Kimmel’s show for the foreseeable future, a decision that Trump called “great news for America.”

When Kimmel’s show was reinstated a few days later, Trump heavily criticized the decision.

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2026-02-17 22:06