Stephen Colbert lashed out at CBS lawyers after he said that their fear of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) led to the cancellation of one of his interviews. Colbert revealed on-air that his scheduled talk with Texas State Democratic Rep. James Talarico on The Late Show would not be taking place.
Speaking during his show, Colbert expressed his displeasure with the fact that he was not even allowed to mention or discuss this sudden cancellation on-air. He highlighted the unusual nature of a direct intervention from the network on his show. Colbert said that the lawyers cited concerns over triggering FCC’s equal time rule for blocking the interview.
Stephen Colbert revealed on “The Late Show” Monday night that CBS lawyers had barred him from airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico over “equal time” fears.
Addressing FCC chair Brendan Carr, Colbert said: “FCC you… because I think you are motivated by…
— Variety (@Variety) February 17, 2026
He stated, “You know who’s not one of my guests tonight? That’s Texas Representative James Talarico. 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.”
The Late Show host is known for speaking his mind. “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 added.
He mentioned that since it could not air on television, the episode with Talarico was posted on YouTube. It ended up receiving 2 million views.
Colbert then directed a jab at the FCC and said it is motivated by partisan policy and purposes.
He said, “FCC you… because I think you are motivated by partisan purposes yourself, sir. Hey, you smelt it ’cause you dealt it. You are Dutch-ovening America’s airwaves.”
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. pic.twitter.com/BCev5jZbKc
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) February 17, 2026
Critics say the caution flagged by CBS reflects the Trump administration’s pressure on broadcasters as a means of curbing freedom of expression.
CBS released a statement in their defense after Colbert’s revelation during his show. The network clarified alarming discrepancies regarding the time allotted not just for Talarico, but also for Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Their statement read, “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.”
Meanwhile, Talarico himself offered a statement over what he called an attempt to curb his views. He said, “This is the party that ran against cancel culture. And now they’re trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture. The kind that comes from the top.”
