{"id":2570638,"date":"2026-02-17T12:08:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T17:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colbert-posts-talarico-interview-on-youtube-after-cbs-pulls-it-off-air\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T17:11:41","slug":"colbert-posts-talarico-interview-on-youtube-after-cbs-pulls-it-off-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/colbert-posts-talarico-interview-on-youtube-after-cbs-pulls-it-off-air\/","title":{"rendered":"Colbert posts Talarico interview on YouTube after CBS pulls it off air"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcolbert-posts-talarico-interview-on-youtube-after-cbs-pulls-it-off-air%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570638&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Stephen Colbert\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-night-restaurant-owners-want-to-play-fair-so-far-they-say-newsom-hasnt\/\" title=\"Late-night restaurant owners want to play fair. So far, they say, Newsom hasn&#039;t\">late-night<\/a> show highlighted CBS\u2019s decision to pull his interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico due to the FCC\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fcc-commish-kamalas-snl-appearance-specially-designed-to-evade-federal-regulations\/\" title=\"FCC Commish: Kamala&#039;s SNL Appearance Specially &#039;Designed to Evade&#039; Federal Regulations\">equal-time rule<\/a>,which requires offering time to opposing candidates. Colbert ignored CBS\u2019s legal advice and posted the interview on YouTube, calling the move unusual for his program. the piece notes ongoing FCC scrutiny of equal-time violations, including an examination into The View, and new guidance aimed at late-night and daytime shows that seem politically motivated.Talarico is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas against Jasmine Crockett in a competitive Democratic primary, with the winner facing Republican John Cornyn; the article also references othre Texas primary races involving Ken Paxton and Wesley Hunt. Colbert used the moment to criticize the FCC, even as The Late Show is reportedly ending its run in May for financial reasons, and the full interview remains available on Colbert\u2019s YouTube channel.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Colbert posts James Talarico interview on YouTube after CBS pulls it off air over FCC equal time rule<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2481010\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Late-night host <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/stephen-colbert\/\">Stephen Colbert<\/a> said on his Monday show that CBS refused to air his interview with Democratic Texas state Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-talarico\/\">James Talarico<\/a> due to the equal time rule enforced by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-communications-commission\/\">Federal Communications Commission<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But Colbert didn&rsquo;t let the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >long-standing broadcasting policy stand<\/a> in his way. Ignoring legal advice from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cbs\/\">CBS<\/a>, the comedian posted his interview with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\">Texas<\/a> Democrat on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/youtube\/\">YouTube<\/a> anyway.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4460101\/hamas-dismisses-israel-threat-to-complete-mission-disarm-60-days\/\">Hamas dismisses Israel threat to &#8216;complete the mission&#8217; if terrorist group doesn&#8217;t disarm<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4458485\/liberals-join-soros-bankrolling-dc-jury-nullification\/\">Mainstream liberals join Soros in bankrolling group backing DC jury nullification effort<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460008\/ken-paxton-frames-john-cornyn-establishment-candidate-first-rally-early-voting\/\">Paxton frames Cornyn as establishment candidate in first rally of campaign as early voting begins<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Colbert noted the move was quite unusual for his long-running late-night talk show.<\/p>\n<p>Speculating on the reason why CBS declined to air the interview, Talarico claimed President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> didn&rsquo;t want viewers to watch it because he&rsquo;s &ldquo;worried that we&rsquo;re about to flip Texas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The state lawmaker is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas against Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jasmine-crockett\/\">Jasmine Crockett<\/a> (D-TX) in a competitive Democratic primary. Whoever wins the primary will challenge the Republican nominee, whether that be incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX) or one of the two formidable challengers.<\/p>\n<p>Texas Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\">Ken Paxton<\/a> and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) are seeking to succeed Cornyn in the high-stakes primary early next month. Early voting started on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Under the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/4428583\/fcc-warns-talk-shows-about-political-equal-time-exemptions\/\">FCC policy<\/a>, broadcast networks are legally required to grant equal time to opposing candidates running for the same office. The rule provides exemptions for news segments but not entertainment segments. Late-night shows fall under the latter category.<\/p>\n<p>Colbert has been frequently criticized by conservatives for inviting Democrats to speak on his show while largely ignoring Republicans. Former Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/liz-cheney\/\">Liz Cheney<\/a> (R-WY), a vocal Trump critic, was one of the few Republicans on <em>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>The FCC is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4451824\/fcc-investigates-the-view-democratic-candidate-interview-equal-time-policy\/\">currently investigating<\/a> <em>The View<\/em> for interviewing Talarico earlier this month, alleging a possible violation of its equal time rule as found under the Communications Act of 1934. In <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/DA-26-68A1.pdf\">new guidance<\/a> on the statute, the agency said it is targeting late-night and daytime programs that are &ldquo;motivated by partisan purposes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Talarico criticized the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a> in his online appearance on Colbert&rsquo;s show.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the party that ran against cancel culture,&rdquo; he said, referring to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\">Republican Party<\/a> in 2024. &ldquo;Now they&rsquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> contacted the FCC for comment on Colbert&rsquo;s YouTube interview with Talarico.<\/p>\n<p>Colbert dedicated part of his Monday night show to excoriating the FCC for forcing CBS to block his conversation with the Texas Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;FCC you,&rdquo; he said in a direct message to FCC Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3814515\/who-is-fcc-chairman-brendan-carr-kimmel-suspended\/\">Brendan Carr<\/a>, drawing applause from the audience. &ldquo;Because I think you are motivated by partisan purposes yourself.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> is set to end its 11-year run on May 21. Last year, CBS said the show&rsquo;s cancellation was due to financial reasons.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4436952\/stephen-colbert-discussed-running-office-with-family\/\">STEPHEN COLBERT &lsquo;DISCUSSED&rsquo; RUNNING FOR OFFICE WITH FAMILY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Using the same language, Colbert took the opportunity on Monday to mock his own network.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now, as I said, at this point, [Carr&rsquo;s] just released a letter that says he&rsquo;s thinking about doing away with the exception for late night. He hasn&rsquo;t done away with it yet, but my network is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had,&rdquo; the host said of CBS. &ldquo;I want to assure you, this decision is for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/googles-new-sledgehammer-tactic-censors-conservative-speech-on-almost-any-platform\/\" title=\"Google\u2019s NEW sledgehammer tactic censors conservative speech \u2026 on almost any platform | Christian Action\">purely financial reasons<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>You can watch the full interview on Colbert&rsquo;s YouTube channel:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"oiTJ7Pz_59A\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rep. James Talarico On Confronting Christian Nationalism, And Strange Days In The Texas Legislature\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oiTJ7Pz_59A?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase:<br \/>\nStephen Colbert said on his Monday show that CBS wouldn&#8217;t air his interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico because of the FCC\u2019s equal-time rule. Defying CBS\u2019s legal advice, he posted the interview to YouTube anyway. Talarico, who is running for the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas against Jasmine Crockett, suggested that President Trump might not want viewers to see it, speculating it could signal Texas flipping blue. Early voting had begun in the competitive primary, where Paxton and Wesley Hunt are also seeking to succeed John Cornyn.<\/p>\n<p>The FCC rule requires broadcast networks to provide equal time to opposing candidates for the same office, though exemptions exist for news segments but not entertainment; late-night shows fall under entertainment. Colbert has faced conservative criticism for inviting Democrats while giving less airtime to Republicans. The FCC is also examining The View for interviewing Talarico, alleging a possible equal-time violation. Talarico used Colbert\u2019s platform to criticize the Trump administration, calling out what he described as top-down cancel culture. Colbert spent part of his monologue on-air accusing FCC Chair Brendan Carr of partisan motives. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to end on May 21, with CBS previously saying the cancellation was due to financial reasons. The full interview remains available on Colbert\u2019s YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<p>55-character headline:<br \/>\nColbert posts Talarico interview on YouTube after CBS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2570639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26048584169372.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[7585,16091,68501,6562],"class_list":["post-2570638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cbs","tag-colbert","tag-talarico","tag-youtube"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26048584169372.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570638"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570646,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570638\/revisions\/2570646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}