Skip to main content

Stephen Colbert blasts CBS for nixing James Talarico interview

Talarico discussed the interview’s removal and criticized the FCC guidance and CBS’s decision.

Stephen Colbert blasts CBS for nixing James Talarico interview
Image · San Antonio Current

SOURCE CHECK

TAP FOR WHY
Outlet credibilitySan Antonio Current71/100 HIGH
This article1 analysis · Oct 12, 2026

Credibility rates San Antonio Current, which carries this article. The other scores rate the article itself. San Antonio Current's published outlet score.

Also carried by

The same article also appears on East Idaho News and 2 other sites. Which outlet published it first has not been determined.

tl;dr

Stephen Colbert said CBS stopped his planned interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico from airing on television because of FCC equal-time guidance; CBS disputed that account and said the interview was posted on YouTube. The dispute raises questions about how the guidance could affect political interviews during the Texas primary.

Community verdict

3 VOTES
How does this story look for

Counts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 66

● OPEN
  • Readers of left-leaning coverage: not enough votes yet
  • Readers of right-leaning coverage: 0% good look
Votes cast on this page

Votes cast on this page: ▲ 0 · ◆ 0 · ▼ 0

People in this story

SWIPE →

Texas Senate candidate whose interview with Colbert was not broadcast on television

PRIMARY SUBJECT

Texas congresswoman and Senate candidate identified as one of the candidates potentially entitled to equal time

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President criticized by Colbert and Talarico over alleged pressure on broadcasters

Kamala Harris
Former U.S. Senator (D-CA)

Democratic presidential candidate whose interview was part of the earlier settlement dispute mentioned in the article

Colin Z. Allred
Former U.S. Representative (D-TX)

Former Dallas congressman and Democratic Senate candidate discussed in connection with Talarico’s campaign remarks

Part of a bigger story

32 OUTLETS
CBS Does Not Air Colbert Interview With James Talarico

Stephen Colbert’s interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico did not air on CBS television and was later posted online. Coverage centers on CBS’s equal-time guidance and disagreement over whether it barred the broadcast or led the show to choose not to air it. Left-leaning outlets frame the decision as political pressure on speech and note the interview’s online reach and possible campaign benefit. Center outlets focus on competing accounts of CBS’s equal-time guidance, while some track the interview’s reach and fundraising. Right-leaning outlets emphasize CBS’s account of legal guidance and challenge claims that the FCC or Trump stopped the interview.

Discussion · 0

What's your take?

Loading comments…