CBS slammed as ‘capitulating’ to Trump after Stephen Colbert says network lawyers banned guest: ‘FCC you!’

‘This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,’ the guest, a Texas Democrat, wrote on X

Late-night host Stephen Colbert accused the Trump administration of trying to silence dissent after CBS News blocked the airing of his interview with James Talarico, a Democratic Texas state representative.

“He was supposed to be here,” Colbert said during a segment on Monday night. “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.”

Colbert said the decision to pull the interview was related to the Federal Communications Commission's equal time rule, a decades-old doctrine that requires broadcasters to provide equal air time opportunities to candidates running for the same public office.

“There’s long been an exemption for this rule, an exception for news interviews and talk show interviews with politicians,” the late-night host said. But, he noted that, earlier this year, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that talk shows may no longer be exempt.

“A program that is motivated by partisan purposes, for example, would not be entitled to an exemption under longstanding FCC precedent,” Carr’s January 21 letter stated. However, when asked about how this might apply to talk radio stations — largely populated by conservative voices — Carr said he didn’t see the same need for readjustment in that realm.

Colbert, who has a long history of bashing the Trump administration, lambasted the policy change, claiming it smacks of hypocrisy.

“Sir, you’re chairman of the FCC, so FCC you,” Colbert said on air. “Because I think you are motivated by partisan purposes yourself.”

Stephen Colbert said that CBS News banned him from broadcasting his interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, YouTube)

“Let’s just call this what it is: Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV,” he continued. “He’s like a toddler with too much screen time. He gets cranky and then drops a load in his diaper.”

CBS News announced in July that it will retire Colbert’s show in May, claiming the decision was based on financial losses and was not related to politics.

Spokespeople for the FCC and CBS News did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent.

Instead of airing on TV, Colbert posted his Talarico interview on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” YouTube channel, where it drew some 755,000 views.

Talarico, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas currently occupied by Republican John Cornyn, reposted the interview on X. It was viewed by nearly two million users.

“This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,” he wrote. “His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert. Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.”

Trump has said that Carr is ‘supported by MAGA, like few others’ (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

In the past, Carr’s FCC has singled out talk shows with a history of attacking the administration.

In September, ABC News suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after the host delivered a September 15 monologue about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, during which he called the shooter part of the MAGA crowd.

Before the announcement of Kimmel’s suspension, Carr criticized ABC News and its parent company for permitting violations tied to the host’s monologue.

“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said.

The show was ultimately reinstated after six days.

In September, Carr also took aim at another television show known for its strong anti-Trump rhetoric: ABC News’s “The View.” He told a conservative podcaster that it may be “worthwhile” to investigate whether “The View” is violating broadcast rules.

During a December congressional hearing, Carr claimed that he served at the president’s pleasure and argued that the FCC was not an independent agency. His assertion prompted a Democratic senator to show a screenshot from the FCC’s own website stating the opposite. Carr himself told Congress in 2018 that the regulatory agency is independent.

Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly criticized Carr, accusing him of partisan decision-making and serving as “Trump’s attack dog.” Even some Republicans have joined in. After the FCC threatened to pull ABC’s broadcast license over Kimmel’s remarks, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz labeled Carr’s tactics as “unbelievably dangerous” and similar those of a “mafioso.”

The commissioner, for his part, has brushed off such comments. “For a lot of Democrats, this has really been about distortion and projection,” he said shortly after Kimmel’s brief cancellation.

President Donald Trump — who routinely blasts Colbert and Kimmel — has applauded Carr’s performance.

“Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is Smart, Tough, and a True American Patriot,” the 79-year-old Republican president wrote on Truth Social in September. “He is supported by MAGA, like few others.”