Colbert defies CBS over interview with Texas Senate candidate
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Host Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
Late-night host Stephen Colbert said Monday evening that CBS barred him from airing an interview with James Talarico, a Texas Democrat running for Senate, citing a recent federal directive.
Why it matters: CBS has faced mounting scrutiny in recent months that its news arm and parent company, Paramount Skydance, are succumbing to pressure from President Trump's administration.
Driving the news: Colbert said on air that CBS' lawyers told his show that it could not have Talarico, a Texas state representative, on the broadcast.
- "Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on," he said. "And because my network clearly doesn't want us to talk about this, let's talk about this."
- "FCC you," Colbert said, calling out FCC chairman Brendan Carr directly. He added that Carr is "motivated by partisan purposes."
- The FCC did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Tuesday.
The other side: However, CBS said in a statement that the network did not prohibit the show from broadcasting the interview.
- "The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled," the network said.
Zoom in: The interview was posted to "The Late Show" YouTube channel.
- Talarico shared a clip from the interview on X. "Trump is worried we're about to flip Texas," he wrote, referencing the key Lone Star state Senate race.
- However, he is currently locked in an intense primary race against Crockett (D-Texas). She appeared on the show last year. A third candidate, Ahmad Hassan, is also running in the primary.
What they're saying: Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner on the regulatory body, described CBS' decision in a statement as "another troubling example of corporate capitulation in the face of this Administration's broader campaign to censor and control speech."
Context: On Trump's watch, the FCC has cracked down on late-night and daytime talk shows that have long made politicians the target of their jokes.
- The FCC warned in a January notice that not all late-night and daytime TV programs are exempt from the equal-time rule, which mandates all candidates for an office receive equal opportunity with exceptions for "bona fide" newscasts or news interviews.
- Some two decades ago, the FCC determined that the news interview portions of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" were exempt.
- The FCC's recent notice stated that the 2006 precedent does not mean similar programs are exempt, further saying "a program that is motivated by partisan purposes" would not be entitled to the carveout.
- Gomez described the announcement as "misleading" and said nothing had "fundamentally changed with respect to our political broadcasting rules."
State of play: Fox News reported earlier this month that the FCC was launching an equal-time probe into "The View" over its own interview with Talarico.
- "Let's be clear on what this is," Gomez said at the time. "This is government intimidation, not a legitimate investigation."
Worth noting: CBS announced last year that it would be ending Colbert's iconic show, saying it was "purely a financial decision."
More from Axios:
- What to know about the "equal time" rule at heart of Colbert, CBS fight
- Kimmel returns with monologue defending free speech: "We have to stand up"
Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements from CBS and FCC commissioner Anna Gomez.
