Progmerican Late Night Host Stephen Colbert was told by CBS News that his scheduled interview with Texas Democrat Candidate for Senate James Talarico would be required to include an opposite counter, mainly another Democrat candidate running against him in the same Senate Primary.
Stephen Colbert used his show’s dwindling platform to push forth the lie CBS news simply did not want Talarico on the show altogether, claiming, “He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him 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, and because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”
The action is seen as a direct challenge to the new head of CBS News, Bari Weiss, whose department was behind the decision. As of this writing, CBS News has doubled down on its counter to Colbert’s claims, but no overt action has been taken in response to what was an overt act of misinformation intended to undermine the credibility of the company that pays his salary. This was not the act of a whistleblower, it was the act of an information terrorist, an agit propagandist, a Marat Molotov-cocktail thrower.
Stephen Colbert’s ‘Censorship’ Hoax Rapidly Debunked By CBS, Trump Administration – trendingpoliticsnews.com
Outgoing “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert was quickly debunked after claiming that the FCC attempted to “censor” a recent interview he conducted with Texas State Rep. James Talarico, the preferred candidate of the Democratic Party establishment in Texas’ tightly contested Senate primary.
The interview, which was released despite objections from CBS, focused largely on Talarico’s Senate primary and claims that Democrats are going to “flip” the Lone Star State. However, CBS lawyers prevented the segment from airing on broadcast television, citing potential violations of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) equal-time rule.
The equal-time rule, part of the Communications Act of 1934, requires broadcasters to provide equal airtime opportunities to opposing political candidates if one appears on air, excluding bona fide news interviews.
Late-night and daytime talk shows had historically been exempt under the news interview category until recent rule changes that took effect in January, when FCC Chair Brendan Carr issued a public notice stating that such programs might not qualify for the exemption if motivated by partisan purposes.
“The FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption,” the notice read. This guidance followed an FCC investigation into ABC’s “The View” for hosting Talarico on February 2, 2026, without offering equal time to opponents.
During the February 16 episode, Colbert addressed the issue in his monologue, explaining that CBS lawyers directly instructed him not to air the interview or discuss the decision. He proceeded anyway, stating, “He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him 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, and because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”
Despite the alleged comedian’s claims of political bias, the network would be forced to provide equal airtime to Talarico’s opponents in the Democratic primary, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).
“The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates,” CBS said in a statement. The network further denied that it had instructed Colbert not to broadcast the episode.
This is a blatant lie by James Talarico. The FCC didn’t refuse to air his conversation with Stephen Colbert.
It was CBS who didn’t air it because they will not give equal time to his political opponent in the lead up to the Texas primary.
Broadcast licenses should not be used… https://t.co/it89mhDnbT
— Nathan Leamer (@NathanLeamerDC) February 17, 2026
The latest feud comes as Colbert’s show is set to end in its entirety this coming May. Colbert has frequently clashed with network bosses and claims he is being censored for his political views since the decision was announced.
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from trendingpoliticsnews.com