(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Self-described comedian Stephen Colbert and Democrat James Talarico claimed the Trump administration blocked their interview on The Late Show. But CBS News clarified that the network, not the president, chose not to air the episode due to FCC equal-time rules.
Colbert had interviewed Talarico earlier this week, as Talarico runs for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. CBS said that broadcasting the episode on its networks could trigger the FCC rule, which requires equal airtime be offered to other candidates, including Crockett herself.
Despite this, both Colbert and Talarico publicly accused the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission of censorship.
“This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,” Talarico claimed on X. “His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert,” Talarico claimed on X. “Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.”
Colbert echoed the claim on Monday, saying that Talarico was supposed to be on the show, but that “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.”
Colbert added, “Then, 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.”
Colbert published the interview on YouTube instead.
In remarks, CBS clarified that despite Colbert’s claims, the network itself was responsible for the show’s interview not airing on TV. A CBS spokesperson specifically stated:
“THE LATE SHOW was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. 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 LATE SHOW decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal-time options.”
Crockett herself said that the Trump administration was not behind CBS’s decision not to air Colbert’s interview of Talarico:
CBS’s move came after President Donald Trump reportedly secured millions in advertising from the network following his lawsuit over a 60 Minutes segment that aired an edited interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
