Carr denies ‘hoax’ that FCC blocked Colbert-Talarico interview
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said he was “highly entertained” by the Colbert–Talarico interview controversy and CBS’s decision not to air it. He rejected Talarico’s portrayal of the episode as a hoax and argued the situation reflected how the news media can be used to raise money and generate clicks.The dispute centers on the FCC’s equal-time rule, with colbert and Talarico claiming the interview was blocked and Carr noting ongoing enforcement actions, including against The View for a separate Talarico interview. Colbert has sparred with CBS over whether he was prevented from airing the segment or was guided by legal concerns,and CBS has said the Late Show will end its run in May for financial reasons. Talarico, who is running for the Texas Senate, said his campaign raised about $2.5 million in 24 hours after the interview appeared on YouTube. Polls show a competitive Texas primary: Talarico vs. Jasmine Crockett on the Democratic side, and John cornyn vs. Ken Paxton with Wesley Hunt close behind on the Republican side.
FCC chairman denies ‘hoax’ that agency blocked Colbert-Talarico interview: ‘Highly entertained’
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters he was “highly entertained” by the drama unfolding surrounding The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s interview with Texas Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
Carr made his first public statements on Wednesday in the fallout of CBS News not airing Colbert’s interview with Talarico on the late-night broadcast. Colbert has sparred with CBS on whether he was barred from airing the interview by his corporate bosses or was “provided legal guidance” against doing so, as CBS said in its statement.
“I think it was one of the most fun days I’ve had in the job watching sort of the hilarity of how this story played out,” Carr said.
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Talarico — who is running for Senate in Texas in a race that has hotly watched, contested primaries on both sides of the aisle — claimed on X that the Trump administration’s “FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert.” He called it “the interview [President] Donald Trump didn’t want you to see” and wrote that Trump is “worried” his campaign will flip Texas blue.
But Carr denounced Talarico’s characterization of the FCC’s involvement as a “hoax.”
“Anybody that’s not suffering from a terminal case of Trump derangement syndrome could see right away yesterday the exact story arc and how it was going to play out. You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way the news media works, and he took advantage of all of your sort of prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently, for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks, and the news media played right into it,” Carr said.
Colbert and Talarico have said that their interview was not allowed to air because of the enforcement of the FCC’s equal time rule, a rule that requires broadcast networks to grant equal time to opposing candidates running for the same office.
Carr also confirmed on Wednesday that the FCC is conducting an “enforcement action” against The View after the ABC show aired an interview with Talarico.
Colbert announced last year that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end its run on CBS’s network in May. CBS has said the show’s cancellation was a financial decision.
Talarico posted on X that his campaign has raised “$2.5 million in 24 hours” after the interview aired on YouTube.
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Talarico is facing off against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in the contested Democratic primary for Texas’s U.S. Senate seat. Polls have varied in the primary; an Emerson College poll from mid-January found Talarico up by 9 points, while a late January University of Houston poll found Crockett up by 8 points.
The Republican primary is also in a dead heat between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Attorney General Ken Paxton, with Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) trailing not too far behind. The Emerson College poll found Paxton up by 1 point, with a May runoff likely.
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