According to Stephen Colbert, CBS denied his scheduled interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate from Texas.
“The network raised issues with the Equal Time Rule of the Federal Communications Commission,” the anchor of the Late Show stated.
Clearly, the network’s lawyers notified his staff that Talarico could not be on the show, the comic told the audience. Additionally, he asserted that he was counseled against discussing the issue on television. Nevertheless, he decided to bring it up in public throughout the performance.
Stephen Colbert claims that during election seasons, television networks are required by the FCC law to provide competing political candidates with equal airtime. He did point out that news interviews and talk shows have historically been excluded from this rule.
After that, FCC Chair Brendan Carr came under heavy fire from Stephen Colbert for the notification. He proposed keeping the customary equal-time exception for talk shows.
“FCC you!” Colbert was angry, and he spoke sharply.
He said, “…because I believe you are driven by partisan goals yourself.”
Colbert charged political bias against the FCC leadership. He claims that the government of Donald Trump seeks to muzzle critics of the president on television.
Colbert went on to equate Trump’s media consumption to that of a youngster who spends too much time on screens. According to the seasoned host, he and Jimmy Kimmel were among the most impacted.
Colbert also took aim at CBS, his own network. The FCC had just sent out a notification, he noted. It has not formally eliminated the long-standing exemption yet. CBS, however, decided to abide by the regulation beforehand and prevented the interview from broadcasting.
In a recent letter, he stated that he is considering eliminating the late-night exception. Colbert stated, “My network is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had done away with it, even though he has not done so yet.”
Colbert quipped that the choice was made for “purely financial motives” as the crowd jeered.
A conversation with James Talarico
Carr, the chair of the FCC, supported the limitation. He said talk show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Colbert could switch to streaming services, podcasts, or cable if they did not want to abide by the proposed equal-time regulation.
Colbert made fun of this idea. He said that a broadcast regulator urging people to stop watching broadcast TV was odd. Then he disclosed that the interview will instead be webcast online.
“Tonight, I will be doing an interview with James Talarico, but it will not be on The Late Show. “The Late Show is YouTube page will host it,” he stated.
History of the Colbert-Trump controversy
Years of scathing political comedy that Trump finds offensive and personal are the root of his ongoing spat with Stephen Colbert. Colbert has regularly used harsh words to make fun of Trump in his humor since 2015. In response, Trump has been similarly critical, labeling Colbert a “failure,” “talentless,” and “boring.”
When Colbert claimed that Trump had received $16 million (₹145 crore) from CBS’ parent firm, Paramount Global, in 2025, tensions increased even worse. According to reports, the business settled a lawsuit involving a 60-minute interview with Kamala Harris.
According to Colbert, the intention of the payment was to obtain government permission for Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media. CBS declared that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would conclude in May 2026 shortly after this controversy. Officially, it cited financial strain and declining ratings.
In public, Donald Trump praised the cancellation. The US president expressed his satisfaction at Colbert’s “fire.” The timing, according to critics and comedians like Jon Stewart, prompted questions about political influence on media choices.
