Stephen Colbert Reveals Network Lawyers Halted James Talarico Interview Due to FCC Equal Time Concerns

During a recent episode, Stephen Colbert revealed that his planned interview with James Talarico, a Democratic contender for the Texas Senate, was unexpectedly omitted from Monday night’s show. This decision was influenced by concerns within the network about potentially breaching regulatory guidelines set by the Trump administration, which emphasize equal airtime for political candidates.

Colbert explained to his audience on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that network attorneys had directly instructed them not to air the interview. “We were clearly told that having him on the broadcast was not an option,” Colbert shared, highlighting the legal caution exercised by his network.

Adding a twist to the situation, Colbert mentioned, “Not only was I informed that we couldn’t feature him, but I was also advised against even discussing his absence. However, since it seems our network is keen on keeping this quiet, I thought we should address it anyway.”

This incident unfolded just as early voting for Texas’ primary elections was about to commence. It underscores the complex landscape media outlets must navigate due to the evolving broadcast rules established during the Trump era, which dictate the protocols for engaging with political figures on-air.

In response, Talarico took to social media to share a segment of the unaired interview, framing it as “the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,” thereby amplifying the narrative surrounding the censorship.

Broadcast networks have been required to give equal time to political candidates, but that rule hasn’t traditionally been applied to talk shows. In January, the Federal Communications Commission issued new guidance warning late-night and daytime hosts that they need to give political candidates equal time, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr questioning the talk show exemption and positing that hosts were “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,” according to the public notice.

In his comments, Colbert noted that the equal time provision applies to broadcast but not streaming platforms. Subsequently, his nearly 15-minute interview with Talarico was posted to the YouTube page for Colbert’s show, with the host noting specifically that the segment was only appearing online and not on broadcast.

Talarico posted a nearly minute-long clip of the sit-down on X, adding that, “This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see. His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert. Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.”

Neither CBS nor the FCC immediately responded to messages seeking comment Tuesday,

Early voting began Tuesday in Texas, where Talarico and Rep. Jasmine Crockett are among the Democrats seeking election to the U.S. Senate seat currently held by four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn. The primary election is March 3.

Carr, appointed by Trump to lead the agency last year, has often criticized network talk shows, suggesting last year that probing ABC’s “The View” — whose hosts have frequently been critical of Trump — over the exemption might be “worthwhile.”

Colbert’s days in his host chair are limited, following CBS’ announcement last year that it was canceling his show this May for financial reasons, shuttering a decades-old TV institution in a changing media landscape.

But the timing of that announcement — three days after Colbert criticized the settlement between Trump and Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, over a “60 Minutes” story — led two U.S. senators to publicly question the motives behind the move, which served to remove from air one of Trump’s most prominent and persistent late-night critics.

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Associated Press reporter David Bauder contributed to this report.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP