"The Biggest F–CK YOU": Stephen Colbert Just Obliterated CBS And The FCC Over Censorship Claims, And People Can't Stop Talking About It

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Last night, Stephen Colbert shocked Late Show fans when he claimed that CBS was barring him from airing his interview with Democratic Texas Rep. James Talarico, a serious contender for Senate who could help turn the state blue.

Speaking to his studio audience, Colbert said, "[James] 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."

Colbert continued to say he was also instructed not to mention the interview.

If you're wondering why, well, the 61-year-old was prompt to explain. Allegedly, it's due to pressure stemming from the FCC enforcing an "equal time rule" that talk shows have previously been exempt from.

In broadcast TV, the "equal time rule" requires networks to offer opposing candidates an equal amount of airtime.  

"But," Colbert said, "On January 21 of this year, a letter was released by FCC Chairman and smug bowling pin Brendan Carr." The letter, Colbert said, mentioned Carr's apparent desire to drop the talk show exemption because Carr purportedly believes some are "motivated by partisan purposes."

To this, Colbert has a simple response: "You're chairman of the FCC, so, FCC you, because I think you are motivated by partisan purposes, yourself."

It's important to note that Carr has previously been less strict when it comes to talk radio. The same rules apply, yet Carr reportedly said he doesn't see a reason to inflict warnings on the medium popularly used by conservative voices.

"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. He's like a toddler with too much screentime."

You can watch the full clip of Colbert's segment here.

Notably, CBS has denied barring the Late Show from airing the interview. 

“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,” CBS told Variety in a statement. 

All of this comes after the FCC launched a probe into The View for the same equal time rule when they interviewed Talarico, and after the FCC threatened penalties over Jimmy Kimmel's Charlie Kirk "joke" that resulted in a temporary suspension.

In response to the FCC's crackdown and Colbert's claims, people across the internet are sounding off with concerns of censorship. Here's what they're saying:

And Talarico tweeted the following:

This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see.

His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert.

Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas. pic.twitter.com/BCev5jZbKc
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) February 17, 2026

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert / youtube.com / Via Twitter: @jamestalarico

Following the episode, the Late Show posted Colbert's interview with Talarico on their YouTube channel.

Speaking on the situation, Talarico said, "This is the party that ran against cancel culture and now they're trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read... Corporate media executives are selling out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians."

You can watch the full interview here.

Share your thoughts on the situation in the comments. 

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