CBS is very careful about what makes it on the air these days. The network allegedly pulled a planned guest appearance after pressure from the government. Stephen Colbert blasted the decision, aired it anyway. Keep reading for all the details on the situation.
Colbert Blasts CBS After Network Pulls Planned Guest Appearance
Stephen Colbert took over CBS’s Late Show in 2015 after David Letterman retired. After a decade hosting the show, the network revealed last year that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was coming to an end. Its final airdate is May 21, 2026.
With nothing left to lose, Stephen Colbert doesn’t shy away from calling the network out. On Monday’s show, he told the audience that the lawyers at CBS pulled a planned guest appearance from the air. Texas politician James Talarico was supposed to be on. He’s locked in a close battle with Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan in the Democratic primary for the state’s Senate seat.
The FCC has an “equal time” rule that requires fair time for all candidates. So, if James Talarico were on the show, his opponents would have to be, too. Late-night talks shows were exempt from the rule for years. But new FCC chairman Brendan Carr has expressed a desire to end the exemption.
Stephen Colbert accused the network of refusing to air the interview with James Talarico because CBS felt threatened by the FCC. “At this point, [Carr has] just released a letter that says he’s thinking about doing away with the exception for late night. He hasn’t done away with it yet, but my network is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had,” Stephen Colbert said.
The late-night host claimed that lawyers for the network told him that the politician wasn’t allowed on the air. Furthermore, Stephen Colbert was allegedly barred from talking about the situation. However, with nothing left to lose, Stephen Colbert did talk about it. And as a workaround, the interview aired on YouTube, which isn’t under FCC rules.
CBS Denies Pulling Guest
The interview with James Talarico blew up after viewers found out they weren’t supposed to see it. The YouTube video has over 5 million views. However, CBS publicly denied Stephen Colbert’s claims that they banned the interview from airing on television.
“The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico,” the network’s spokesperson said. “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.”
James Talarico recently appeared on The View, triggering an investigation by the FCC that the daytime show violated the “equal time” rule. Tell us in the comments if you think CBS yanked the interview from the air.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger