Colbert Says CBS Didn’t Air Interview With Democrat Due To FCC 'Equal Time' Rule
Topline
Late Show host Stephen Colbert on Monday said CBS refused to air his interview with James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate from Texas, due to the Federal Communications Commission’s recent decision to enforce its “equal time” mandate on talk shows.
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert called out both the FCC and his own network CBS.
CBS via Getty Images
Key Facts
During a segment of his show on Monday night, Colbert told the audience Talarico was “supposed to be here” as a guest on the show, but CBS’s lawyers told the Late Show team “in no uncertain terms…that we could not have him on the broadcast.”
Colbert said the network’s lawyers also told him he was not allowed to mention this issue on air, before adding: “because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”
The comedian then explained the FCC’s “equal time” rule—which requires broadcast networks to provide equal air time to opposing political candidates—and pointed out a “long time exception” that applied to news interviews and talk show interviews.
The Late Show Host then called FCC chair Brendan Carr for a notice sent by the agency last monthnoting that talk shows should not qualify for this exception, claiming some of them were “motivated by partisan purposes.”
Colbert then addressed the Trump-appointed FCC chair directly, saying, “FCC you…because I think you are motivated by partisan purposes yourself.”
Crucial Quote
“Let’s just call this what it is. Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV. He’s like a toddler with too much screen time…So it’s no surprise…that two of the people most affected by this threat are me and my friend Jimmy Kimmel,” Colbert said.
What Happened To Colbert’s Interview With Talarico?
Defending the move, the FCC chair said if Colbert and his fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel—who has also derided this proposed rule change—did not want to comply with this requirement, “then they can go to a cable channel or podcast or a streaming service.” The Late Show host played a clip of Carr’s remarks and said “Great idea, man whose job is to regulate broadcast TV, suggest everyone just leave broadcast TV.” Colbert, however, noted he decided to take Brendan Carr’s advice, adding, “I am going to interview James Talarico tonight, but it’s not going to be on the Late Show. It’s going to be on the Late Show’s YouTube page.
What Did Colbert Say About Cbs’s Decision To Not Air The Interview?
Colbert also called out his own network after noting that the FCC notice has not yet outright eliminated the exception for talk shows. “Now, as I said, at this point, he’s [Carr] 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.” As the audience booed CBS’s move, Colbert quipped, “I want to assure you, this decision is for purely financial reasons,” a reference to the reasoning CBS provided for cancelling his show. Colbert then pointed out that the FCC has opened an investigation into ABC’s daytime talk show The View after it aired an interview with Talarico.
