Stephen Colbert blasts CBS over James Talarico statement
On Tuesday night, “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert called CBS’s denial of his claim that it blocked the airing of his interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico “nonsense” and called out the network and its parent company: Paramount SkydanceStanding up to the “bullies” in the Trump administration.
Colbert’s statement came hours after CBS released a statement about the controversy.
The host, whose show will end in May because it has been canceled by CBS, held up a printed copy of the network’s statement about Talarico’s interview on his show Tuesday night and said, “I don’t even know what to do with this nonsense.”
He then pulled a plastic doggy bag from behind his desk, grabbed the statement, tied it in a knot, and pretended to throw it away before going to commercial.
The controversy is the latest move to fuel speculation that CBS is currying favor with the Trump administration after Paramount made a hostile tender offer. Warner Bros Discovery. If WBD’s shareholders accept Paramount’s offer, federal government regulators will need to sign off on the deal.
Colbert had invited Talarico, who is running in the Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat from Texas, to “The Late Show” for broadcast Monday night.
But earlier in that night’s show, Colbert told the studio audience that CBS lawyers had told him “we absolutely can’t put it on the air.”
Colbert said the lawyers want to avoid running afoul of a new order from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr that suggests broadcast talk shows may be required to comply with the so-called equal time provision, which requires broadcasters to give political candidates equal coverage when their rivals appear on the air.
Colbert noted that Talarico posted his interview on his “Late Show” YouTube channel and that the video has been viewed more than 4.4 million times.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, CBS denied Colbert’s main claim that he blocked the interview from airing.
“The Late Show was not banned by CBS from airing its interview with Rep. James Talarico,” the network said.
“The program was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Representative Jasmine Crockett. [D-Texas]“Options were presented for other candidates on how equal time could be fulfilled,” CBS said.
Colbert mocked the statement during Tuesday’s show.
“They know full well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS lawyers who approve every script that goes on the air,” Colbert said.
“I actually had to go backstage before doing the second act, which was about this with the monologue I did last night,” he said.
“I was called backstage to get more notes from these lawyers. It was something that had never happened before, and they told us the language they wanted me to use to define this equal time exception, and I used that language,” Colbert said. “So I don’t know what this is about.”
Colbert said he wasn’t “angry” at the network and didn’t want an “adversarial relationship.”
“I am very surprised that this giant global company cannot stand up to these bullies,” he said.
“Come on. You’re Paramount. No, no, no, you’re more than that. You’re Paramount+,” Colbert snapped. “And for the lawyers to release it [statement] “It’s really surprising that you don’t even talk to me.”
The host also noted that there has long been a very famous exception to the “equal time rule” and that exception includes talk shows and interviews with politicians.
“We looked and couldn’t find a single example of this rule applying to any talk show interview; not only did it apply to my entire late-night career, but it also applied to anyone’s late-night career going back to the 1960s,” he said.
Colbert said Carr “hasn’t gotten around that exception yet” for talk show hosts.
“But CBS generously did it for him and unilaterally told me I had to comply with equal time rules, which I have never been asked to do for an interview in the 20 years I have been in this job,” he added.
“Now, I want to be clear, that decision is their right, just like I had the right to talk about their decision on the air last night,” Colbert said.
Paramount did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Early voting in the Texas Democratic primary began Tuesday. Talarico is in a close race against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The winner will face the winner of the Republican primary between Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Democrats haven’t won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.
