In a week already thick with political intrigue, late-night television and federal regulation collided in a very public dispute, drawing national attention to the increasingly blurred lines between entertainment, news, and politics. The drama began when Stephen Colbert, host of CBS’s long-running “The Late Show,” announced on February 16, 2026, that his interview with Texas State Representative and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico would not air on broadcast television. According to Colbert, CBS lawyers told him in "no uncertain terms" that the segment could not be broadcast due to concerns about violating the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) equal-time rule—a policy requiring broadcasters to provide equal airtime to competing political candidates if requested.
Colbert’s on-air revelation was as pointed as it was theatrical. “He was supposed to be here, 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,” he told his audience, before adding, “Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on. And because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.” As reported by the Associated Press, the move came just hours before early voting opened in Texas’s primary elections, where Talarico faces off against fellow Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Ahmad Hassan for a U.S. Senate seat.
Colbert didn’t mince words about who he believed was responsible. He accused the Trump administration of using the FCC to "silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV," likening former President Donald Trump to “a toddler with too much screen time.” The late-night host pointed out that, traditionally, news and talk shows have been exempt from the equal-time rule, but recent guidance from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—a Trump appointee—questioned whether these exemptions should still apply, especially for "partisan" programming. “Let’s just call this what it is,” Colbert said. “Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV.”
But CBS was quick to push back on Colbert’s narrative. In a statement released on February 17 and reported by Variety and TheWrap, the network said, “‘The Late Show’ was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. ‘The Late Show’ decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal-time options.”
The legal tangle centers on the FCC’s equal-time rule, which, while long a fixture of American broadcasting, has rarely been enforced on late-night or daytime talk shows. However, in January 2026, Chairman Carr issued new guidance warning that these programs should not assume they qualify for the “bona fide news exemption.” According to the Los Angeles Times, Carr argued that many talk shows are "motivated by partisan purposes" and that “the FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption.”
As a result, Colbert and “The Late Show” team took an unconventional route, uploading the full interview with Talarico to YouTube and promoting it on-air. The strategy paid off: the interview racked up 3 million views within 18 hours, according to TheWrap. Colbert quipped that he was simply following Carr’s advice that “if TV hosts want to include political candidates in their programming, they can do it—just not on broadcast TV.”
James Talarico, for his part, seized the moment. He posted a clip of the interview on X (formerly Twitter), calling it “the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,” and told the Associated Press, “I think Donald Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas. This is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture, the kind that comes from the top.” During the online interview, Talarico criticized the Republican Party’s shift on free speech. “Now they are 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 said.
The controversy also drew comment from Talarico’s Democratic rival, Rep. Jasmine Crockett. In an appearance on MS NOW’s “The Briefing With Jen Psaki,” Crockett said she supported Colbert’s workaround, even though it arguably benefitted her opponent. “No. We didn’t have an issue. We’ve never run into an issue with Colbert,” she said, adding, “I think that it was a good strategy.” Crockett acknowledged that the FCC complaint stemmed from her having more airtime than Talarico on “The View” after declaring her candidacy, but downplayed any personal grievances. “If we would’ve gotten an offer, that would’ve been great,” she said, “But, we’re in the middle of early voting, so I’m kind of focused on being in Texas at this moment.”
The FCC’s evolving stance on equal-time rules has not gone without criticism. Commissioner Anna Gomez, the agency’s only Democratic commissioner, called the decision to “censor” Colbert an example of “corporate capitulation” to the Trump administration, as reported by Variety. Legal experts and media analysts have also weighed in, with many calling the equal-time rule antiquated in the age of cable, streaming, and social media platforms—none of which are subject to the same FCC restrictions as traditional broadcast television.
Adding another layer to the saga is the impending end of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which CBS announced will conclude in May 2026 after an 11-season run. The network attributed the decision to "purely financial reasons," but as noted by the Los Angeles Times, the timing coincided with Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media and regulatory scrutiny involving Trump-related lawsuits. Two U.S. senators publicly questioned whether Colbert’s criticism of Trump and CBS’s settlement of a lawsuit over a "60 Minutes" segment played any role in the show’s cancellation.
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate primary races—both Democratic and Republican—are heating up. On the Democratic side, both Talarico and Crockett are vying to avoid a runoff by capturing more than 50% of the vote. The Republican contest has incumbent Sen. John Cornyn facing a tough challenge from Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, with each candidate jockeying for position as early voting begins.
As the dust settles, the Colbert-Talarico episode stands as a vivid illustration of the complex—and sometimes combustible—relationship between politics, media, and regulation in 2026. The equal-time rule, once a relic of the broadcast era, has suddenly become a flashpoint in the battle over free speech, political influence, and the future of American television.