CBS stated it didn’t drive “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” to tug an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico from its TV broadcast Monday, opposite to the way in which the late-night host had framed it. Moderately, based on CBS, its authorized staff supplied “steering” to “The Late Present” that Talarico’s look might “set off the FCC’s equal-time rule.”
In a press release Tuesday, CBS stated, “‘The Late Present’ was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The present was supplied authorized steering that the printed might set off the FCC equal-time rule for 2 different candidates, together with Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and introduced choices for a way the equal time for different candidates might be fulfilled. ‘The Late Present’ determined to current the interview by means of its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the printed quite than probably offering the equal-time choices.”
On Monday’s episode of “The Late Show,” Colbert stated CBS legal professionals had blocked him from airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who’s operating for U.S. Senate, over the FCC’s latest warning that it could think about enforcing the agency’s “equal time” political rules for late-night and daytime talks shows. Colbert additionally claimed the community’s authorized staff instructed the host particularly to to not focus on the matter on air.
Talerico “was purported to be right here, however we have been instructed in no unsure phrases by our community’s legal professionals, who referred to as us instantly, that we couldn’t have him on the printed,” Colbert stated on the present. “Then I used to be instructed — in some unsure phrases — that not solely might I not have him on, I couldn’t point out me not having him on. And since my community clearly doesn’t need us to speak about this, let’s speak about this.”
Colbert famous that “there’s lengthy been an exception” to the equal-time rule for information interviews and discuss present interviews with politicians. However he cited the warning issued in January by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, that the exemption to the rule wouldn’t apply to “partisan” broadcast programming. “Let’s simply name this what it’s: Donald Trump’s administration needs to silence anybody who says something unhealthy about Trump on TV as a result of all Trump does is watch TV,” Colbert stated. “He’s like a toddler with an excessive amount of display time. He will get cranky after which drops a load in his diapers.”
Colbert additionally stated though the FCC’s Carr had not formally “accomplished away with” the equal-time rule exception but for late-night reveals, “my community is unilaterally imposing it as if he had.” He added, “I wish to guarantee you, women and gents, please, I wish to guarantee you, this choice is for purely monetary causes.”
His remark about “purely monetary causes” was a reference to CBS’s assertion final yr that the choice to finish “The Late Present,” which is able to finish its 11-season run in Could 2026, was a “purely” monetary one. The community shouldn’t be planning to relaunch the late-night present with one other host.
After Monday’s episode aired on TV, “The Late Present” launched Colbert’s interview with Talarico on YouTube, X, TikTok and Instagram.
On Tuesday, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the company’s solely Democratic commissioner, referred to as the transfer to “censor” Colbert another example of “corporate capitulation” to the Trump administration.
