Colbert’s Democrat Extravaganza Collides With ‘Equal Time’

The days are numbered for Stephen Colbert’s little late night show on CBS. Just 92 days until the obnoxious left-wing “comedian” signs off for the last time on May 21, but who’s counting? 

You can bet that Colbert will spend his final days at his longtime broadcast TV home promoting Democrats and providing them plenty of free campaign ads. 

Colbert tried to do as much Monday night with plans to run an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico, one of three Democrats — each one loonier than the next — running in the Democratic Party primary for U.S, Senate. That primary is less than two weeks away. 

Colbert got in trouble with the truth again when he told his shrinking viewer base that he was told “in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have” the Democrat on the air. He played the role of political censorship victim, noting Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has warned the broadcast networks that they could face consequences if they don’t stop their late-night hosts from pimping for Democrat politicians. 

And, yes, corporate media outlets painted Colbert as the free speech warrior the pompous host believes himself to be. Another proxy in the Pravda press’ multi-front campaign against President Donald Trump and his stubborn insistence to enforce federal law. 

“The Trump threat looming over late-night TV, briefly explained,” a Vox headline offers. “Censorship Comes for Stephen Colbert”, The Atlantic’s headline declared. CNN’s Jake Tapper, who missed every single sign of Joe Biden’s slide into cognitive mash potato land, broke down “the FCC threat impacting what you see (or don’t see) on some TV shows.” 

‘Crap’

CBS said Colbert’s national temper tantrum was missing a few facts. 

“The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico,” the network said. CBS attorneys did provide legal guidance advising Colbert’s shilling for his preferred politicians could trigger the FCC equal time rule. That rule, in place for nearly 70 years and all but ignored by Carr’s more recent predecessors, would require Colbert or the network to give Talarico’s opponents — lunatic Texas Rep Jasmine Crocket and fellow Democrat Ahmad Hassan — an equal opportunity to appear on the network. 

Colbert on his Tuesday show called CBS’ account of the events “crap,” which is also how many Americans describe his insufferable show. He ultimately posted the interview with Talarico — who may or may not be “a hostile space alien in a human suit,” as a Federalist colleague described him — on The Late Show YouTube channel, which is not bound by the same equal time expectations. 

Daniel Suhr, president of the Center for American Rights, said the law is actually quite simple. 

“It says that when broadcast shows use the public airwaves to feature one candidate then they have to feature all of the other candidates in that election,” the attorney told me Tuesday afternoon on KFAB in Omaha. “We can’t have broadcast shows picking and choosing who gets essentially free advertising right before an election.”

But that’s exactly what Colbert and his weasely late-night compatriot, crying Jimmy Kimmel, have done for years. An analysis late last year by media tracker NewsBusters found that the left-leaning late-night comedy shows booked a total of 90 liberals and one conservative in the second half of 2025. 

The first half of 2025 wasn’t any different, with liberals making up 99 percent of guest bookings.

The list included Democrat incumbents and candidates for office.  

Last month, Carr put the broadcast networks on notice, equal time means equal time. 

“The federal equal opportunities regulations operate to prevent broadcast television stations, which have been given access to a valuable public resource (namely, spectrum), from unfairly putting their thumbs on the scale for one political candidate or set of candidates over another,” states the FCC guidelines on “political equal opportunities requirement”.

‘When it Helps Them’

Colbert defenders like to point to regulatory carveouts exempting nighttime and daytime broadcast TV talk shows from the equal-time rule. They sound aghast that Carr would drop the hammer, joining Colbert in accusing the chairman of political motivations. 

But Democrats applauded the FCC’s findings in the 2000s, finding that there are limitations on the exemptions, particularly if an interview or segment is “designed for the specific advantage of a candidate.” 

In 2006, the FCC’s Media Bureau found that then-Republican Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno triggered the equal-time provision. In 2004, Democrats sought a FCC investigation into Sinclair Broadcast Group for airing a documentary on Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry’s Vietnam War record. 

“Democrats only like to enforce the law when it helps them,” Suhr said. “But as soon as there’s a Republican FCC trying to give equal enforcement, they object because they want to determine what goes on the airwaves regardless of who’s in power. They want to pick who’s going to be in power next time around.”

‘Hold the Line’

The Democrat-friendly talk shows and their hospitality to liberal candidates smacks of in-kind campaign contributions. And the injection of personal political interest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Colbert’s nightly orgy of leftist politics screams of conflict of interest. 

Suhr’s organization last fall filed a FCC complaint against Kimmel noting that he has “hosted Democrats to whom he’s personally financially supported on Live!, without disclosing that information to his audience. 

Last year, CBS decided it would end the Late Show and send Colbert packing. The one-sided show has seen its viewership plummet over its run. Massive production costs and declining ratings is not a recipe for success. 

But in his final three months, expect Colbert to go even more manic with Trump Derangement Syndrome. In a critical midterm election year both the FCC and the Federal Election Commission should keep a very close eye on the Democrat-pimping broadcast network talk shows. 

“So much is on the line,” Suhr said. 

“It’s going to be really important for the FCC to hold the line, to enforce these rules in an even-handed way and make sure all candidates are playing by the same rules and that one party doesn’t get to abuse the rules and use their elite celebrity power and influence an election illegitimately,” the attorney added. 

Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.