James Talarico reacts to Colbert interview being blocked by CBS amid FCC spat

Texas Democrat James Talarico harshly criticized CBS for “selling out” to the Trump administration after the network denied an explosive claim made by “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.

Colbert told viewers Monday that his network had blocked his interview with Talarico from airing. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) strictly adheres to its long-standing equal time policy; This is something CBS also opposes.

Fox News Digital previously reported that Talarico’s appearance on ABC’s “The View” earlier this month triggered an investigation into the daytime talk show.

“Do you want to cause trouble?” Colbert asked Talarico this question in an interview posted on the show’s YouTube page.

“I think Donald Trump is worried that we’re going to flip Texas,” Talarico said, drawing loud applause from the liberal audience.

CBS DENIES BLOCKING COLBERT’S TALARICO INTERVIEW FROM BROADCAST AFTER HOST ALLEGED NETWORK LAWYERS STOPPED THE BROADCAST

“This is the party that opposes 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,” he continued. “They went after ‘The View’ because I went there. They went after Jimmy Kimmel because he made a joke they didn’t like. They went after you because you told the truth about Paramount’s bribe to Donald Trump.”

“Corporate media executives sell out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians, and a threat to any of our First Amendment rights is a threat to all our original rights,” Talarico added.

COLBERT HAS SO MUCH FAITH IN CBS, SAYS IT BLOCKED HIM FROM INTERVIEWING TEXAS DEM AFTER FCC CRAWL

Colbert offered a “fact check” to Talarico, citing CBS’ decision to cancel his show as a purely financial decision and stating that he has been “grateful for the last 11 years.”

In a statement Fox News Digital, a CBS spokesperson said: “THE LATE SHOW was not banned by CBS from airing the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The program was provided legal guidance that broadcast could trigger the FCC equal time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and was given options for how equal time could be satisfied for the other candidates. Rather than potentially providing equal time options, THE LATE SHOW decided to present the interview with a live promotion on the air through its YouTube channel.”

Representatives for the FCC and the Talarico campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

Talarico accused CBS and others of “selling out the First Amendment to the Trump administration.” (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Last month, FCC announced It would require broadcast networks to comply with the “statutory equal opportunity requirement,” citing the Communications Act of 1934, “including the broadcast of late-night and daytime talk shows.” Talk shows were previously exempt from the policy when they were classified as “bona fide” news programs.

The policy requires all legally qualified candidates appearing on the ballot to receive equal airtime. In Talarico’s case, his Democratic rivals, such as Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett and little-known candidate Ahmad Hassan, need to get the same airtime before the primaries in March.

Talarico’s appearance on “The View” marks one of the first candidates to appear on the three broadcast networks since the FCC announced the policy move.

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Talarico’s appearance on “The View” earlier this month triggered an FCC investigation into ABC’s daytime talk show. (ABC/TheView)

“We will enforce this regulation on my watch,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr previously said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “There are so many ways to distribute programs these days that you don’t have to comply with that regulation. If you’re a cable channel, it’s largely irrelevant. If you’re a podcaster, no. If you’re a broadcaster, no.”

Colbert, who said late at night that Carr’s politics were an effort to silence him and his liberal colleagues, blasted his own network for stopping the Talarico interview from airing.

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“Let’s call it this – Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV, okay? He’s like a toddler who spends too much screen time,” Colbert said, later adding: “At this point, [Carr has] just released a letter saying he is considering eliminating the late-night exception. It hasn’t eliminated this yet, but my network is unilaterally enforcing it as if it had. But I can assure you that this decision was purely for financial reasons.”

Fox News Digital’s Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.