Colbert blasts CBS for denying it shut down Talarico interview

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Wed, February 18, 2026 at 2:21 PM UTC

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With just three months left before "The Late Show" ends, Stephen Colbert is giving CBS a piece of his mind.

The comedian slammed the network on Tuesday for releasing a statement denying that he was prohibited from airing an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico due to concerns about running afoul of the FCC's "equal time" rule. Colbert denied the CBS statement, doubling down on his original claims and saying he was "so surprised" by how the situation has unfolded.

"For the lawyers to release this [statement] without even talking to me is really surprising. I don't even know what to do with this crap," he said before taking out a bag and disposing of the piece of paper where the statement was written as if it was dog poop.

The "Late Show" host also maintained that CBS "told me unilaterally that I had to abide by" the FCC's equal time rule ahead of his interview with Talarico, "something I have never been asked to do for an interview in the 21 years of this job."

USA TODAY has reached out to CBS for comment.

Stephen Colbert hosts "The Late Show" on Feb. 16, 2026.

Colbert slams CBS for canning interview with Trump critic

The Colbert controversy began on Monday after the late-night host alleged that CBS' lawyers advised him not to interview Talarico, a Democrat who is running in a competitive Senate primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, on "The Late Show."

"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 said Monday. "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."

Colbert explained this had to do with the FCC's equal time rule requiring broadcast networks and radio stations give equal time to all candidates in an election.

There has been an exception to the equal time rule for news interviews and talk shows, and in 2006, the FCC determined "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" qualified for a news interview exemption. But in January, the FCC suggested this may be changing in new guidance. The agency's Media Bureau said it "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 an exemption to the equal time rule.

At the time, FCC chair Brendan Carr said that "for years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night and daytime talk shows qualify as 'bona fide news' programs — even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes," adding that the agency with its new guidance was reminding them "of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities."

Stephen Colbert interviews Rep. James Talarico on Feb. 16, 2026. The conversation was released on the "Late Show" YouTube channel.

On Monday, Colbert alleged this was an example of how President Donald Trump's administration "wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV." The comedian went ahead and interviewed Talarico, but the segment was released on YouTube instead of airing on CBS. The interview has since received more than five million views on YouTube as of Wednesday morning.

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But on Tuesday, CBS shared a statement pushing back on Colbert's comments, saying "The Late Show" was "not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico."

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Instead, the network said Colbert 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 CBS statement continued.

On Tuesday, Colbert said he was ready to let the situation go until CBS put out this statement, written by "I'm guessing four lawyers," "without ever talking to me" about it.

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"I'm not a lawyer, and I don't want to tell them how to do their jobs," he said. "But since they seem intent on telling me how to do mine, here we go. Fellas, I am well aware that we can book other guests. I didn't need to be presented with that option. I've had Jasmine Crockett on my show twice!"

Colbert said he wasn't "mad" and doesn't "want an adversarial relationship with the network" but was confused by the statement because CBS knows "damn well that every word of my script last night was approved by CBS' lawyers."

The Talarico interview controversy is the latest example of late-night tensions with the FCC after ABC temporarily suspended Jimmy Kimmel's show in September after pressure from Carr over comments the comedian made about the killing of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel later returned to the air.

Colbert's segments this week have featured some of his most direct criticism of his longtime network home, where he has been hosting "The Late Show" since 2015. In May, the show will air its final episode after CBS canceled it last year. The network has said this was "purely a financial decision," as critics accused it of ending the show to appease the Trump administration.

In November, Colbert told GQ that he has "had a great relationship with CBS," even amid the controversy over his cancellation, and did not want to engage in speculation about the network's motives. But Colbert also hasn't shied away from taking jabs at CBS. In his segment on Monday, he poked fun at the reasoning CBS gave for canceling his show, sarcastically quipping that the network was enforcing the FCC's equal time rule for "purely financial reasons."

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman and BrieAnna J. Frank; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen Colbert slams CBS for statement on James Talarico interview

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