A public dispute has broken out between late-night host Stephen Colbert and his own network after CBS lawyers blocked a planned Monday broadcast interview with Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico - and the two sides are offering conflicting accounts of why.
Colbert opened "The Late Show" on Monday by telling his studio audience that network lawyers had called his show directly and said "in no uncertain terms" that Talarico could not appear on the broadcast. He added that he had also been told not to mention the cancellation on air. He then did precisely the opposite, devoting a lengthy segment to explaining what happened and criticizing FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
CBS pushed back Tuesday, saying the show was "not prohibited" from airing the interview. Instead, the network said it provided "legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett," and offered the show options for fulfilling those obligations. CBS said "The Late Show" chose to post the interview on YouTube rather than pursue those options.
Crockett, a U.S. congresswoman and Talarico's main rival in the Texas Democratic Senate primary, disputed the network's characterization.
At the heart of the dispute is new FCC guidance issued in January under Carr, who has questioned whether late-night talk shows qualify for a long-standing exemption to the equal-time rule. The rule requires broadcast stations to provide rival political candidates equivalent airtime. For roughly two decades, talk shows were widely understood to be exempt. Carr has signaled that may no longer be the case, though he had not formally eliminated the exemption when CBS made its call.
Colbert was sharply critical of that posture. "He hasn't done away with it yet, but my network is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had," he said on air.
The interview with Talarico was instead posted to the Late Show's YouTube channel, where it surpassed 2 million views by Tuesday afternoon. Colbert told his audience the network would not even allow him to share a URL or QR code directing viewers there.
The controversy landed just hours before early voting opened Tuesday in Texas' March 3 primary, giving the episode immediate political weight. Talarico used the moment on the campaign trail, telling a packed Austin rally Tuesday night that the controversy had backfired on those who sought to suppress it.
The FCC has also opened an investigation into ABC's "The View" after Talarico appeared on that program earlier this month. The White House defended the FCC in a statement Tuesday, while the agency did not respond to press inquiries.
CBS parent company Paramount Skydance previously announced in July that "The Late Show" would end in May, a decision Colbert has publicly tied to the network's $16 million settlement with President Trump over a "60 Minutes" interview.
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