For the 12 of us who wakened Tuesday morning questioning what we had missed on Monday’s late-night reveals, CBS greeted us with a regarding improvement.
In a single day, Stephen Colbert had laid into his community, dedicating time on the high of The Late Present to say that CBS prohibited him from airing an interview with the Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.
“He was speculated to be right here, however we have been advised in no unsure phrases by our community’s attorneys, who referred to as us straight, that we couldn’t have him on the printed,” Colbert mentioned. “Not solely might I not have him on, I couldn’t point out me not having him on. And since my community clearly doesn’t need us to speak about this, let’s discuss this.”
The blame, he argued, lay with CBS’s attorneys for fearing repercussions from the Federal Communications Fee, the federal physique that regulates the airwaves, and its Trump-loyalist chair, Brendan Carr, who has picked fights with Trump critics on TV earlier than.
It appeared like a clear-cut case of the federal authorities having a chilling impact on free speech. However since then, new particulars have emerged that complicate Colbert’s claims.
So what’s really taking place?
Colbert’s claims about CBS’s authorized fears are rooted in an FCC rule that has acquired renewed consideration beneath Trump 2.0. It’s generally known as the “equal-time” rule: a requirement throughout marketing campaign season for candidates competing for a similar workplace to obtain equal airtime on networks. As my colleague Cameron Peters defined, late-night and daytime speak reveals have been lengthy thought-about exempt from this rule, however in January, the Trump administration introduced it could start to implement the rule extra strictly in opposition to these reveals.
Colbert, CBS, and TV speak reveals have all been current targets of the FCC and the Trump administration, and it’s not exhausting to see why. CBS’s father or mother firm Paramount is canceling Colbert’s present in Could, Trump sued Paramount/CBS over a 60 Minutes story in 2025, Disney/ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel final 12 months after Carr criticized a monologue he gave, and the FCC is outwardly investigating whether or not ABC’s The View violated this rule by interviewing Talarico this 12 months.
Colbert referenced all of this Monday evening: “Let’s simply name this what it’s: Donald Trump’s administration desires to silence anybody who says something unhealthy about Trump on TV. … So, it’s no shock that two of the folks most affected by this risk are me and my buddy Jimmy Kimmel.”
However CBS and Paramount are contesting this model of issues. In statements shared with information organizations on Tuesday, CBS mentioned it by no means prohibited The Late Present from broadcasting the Talarico interview, and as a substitute provided authorized steering concerning the equal-time rule, in addition to different choices.
Based on the assertion CBS supplied to The Hill, Colbert’s present then determined “to current the interview by its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the printed fairly than probably offering the equal-time choices.”
The total phase, which had been taped however not aired, would seem in a single day on The Late Present’s YouTube channel, the place it has now acquired nicely over 5 million views, as of publishing.
The White Home, after all, is defending the FCC and Carr, whereas attacking Colbert.
And the saga took one other activate Tuesday evening, when Colbert dug in to his free-speech case, calling CBS’s denial “crap,” saying they have been backing down in opposition to “bullies,” and arguing that company attorneys already learn and must “approve each script that goes on the air.”
The controversy additionally has a marketing campaign dimension. Talarico is operating in a aggressive major in opposition to Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a media darling who has appeared on The Late Present a number of occasions. Early voting in that Texas Senate major started this week — one thing Crockett has famous when requested to weigh in.
“I do suppose there are further layers at play right here,” she mentioned Tuesday at a press availability. “I do wish to be sure that…now we have precisely what occurred versus the mania that simply so occurs to play out on the very first of early voting.”
She made the same level on a podcast, suggesting the drama might have given Talarico “the increase he was on the lookout for.” None of this quantities to a protection of Trump, Carr, or the FCC — however it strikes a conspiratorial notice as her race with Talarico grows extra aggressive, and messier over id politics.
Early voting ends subsequent week, and the first will likely be held on March 3.
