Stephen Colbert brings the receipts over CBS spat and literally trashes network’s lawyers

Late night host attacks corporation’s statement on his withdrawn interview with Senate candidate James Talarico as ‘crap’ and expresses bafflement over its unwillingness to stand up for itself against political pressure NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsStephen Colbert brings the receipts over CBS spat and literally trashes network’s lawyersLate night host attacks corporation’s statement on his withdrawn interview with Senate candidate James Talarico as ‘crap’ and expresses bafflement over its unwillingness to stand up for itself against political pressureJoe Sommerlad Wednesday 18 February 2026 16:54 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverStephen Colbert blasts Paramount for kowtowing to Donald Trump's FCC over James Talarico interviewYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreStephen Colbert has slammed CBS’s statement denying his claims that it blocked him from airing an interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico this week, calling it “crap” and tossing it in the trash. Colbert told his audience on Monday night’s show that his conversation with Talarico, who is running for the Senate, had been dropped because “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.”The host said his producers were informed that the decision was made to comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to provide equal airtime to rival political candidates to prevent bias. In this case, that would necessitate the show also hosting Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Talarico’s primary opponent, who has, in fact, guested on The Late Show twice before.Colbert rejected the explanation, noting: “There’s long been an exemption for this rule, an exception for news interviews and talk show interviews with politicians… Let’s just call this what it is: Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV.”open image in galleryStephen Colbert’s blocked interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico, which was made available on YouTube but did not air as part of Monday’s show as intended (The Late Show/YouTube)While the Talarico interview did not air as part of Monday’s broadcast, it was uploaded to YouTube, where it had been viewed by more than 5.6 million people at the time of writing. The candidate himself also shared excerpts on X (Twitter). CBS responded Tuesday by issuing a statement that read: “The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico. “The show 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.”Responding last night, Colbert held up a printed copy of the statement and said that “every word” he had said the previous night had been “approved by CBS’s lawyers, who, for the record, approve every script that goes on the air.” open image in galleryColbert holds up a printed copy of CBS's statement on Tuesday's instalment of The Late Show (The Late Show/YouTube)He added that he had been called backstage between delivering his opening monologue and commencing the second act to take further notes from the lawyers on how to explain the equal time rule to viewers.“And I used that language. So, I don’t know what this is about,” Colbert said, adding, “I really don’t want an adversarial relationship with the network. I’ve never had one.”“I’m just so surprised that this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies,” he continued. “Come on, you’re Paramount! No! You’re more than that, you’re Paramount Plus!”“For the lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising, he concluded. “I don’t even know what to do with this crap.”He then crumpled the printed statement, scooped it into a plastic bag, and dropped it in the trash.open image in galleryColbert drops a plastic bag containing CBS's scrunched-up statement into the