James Talarico Says Trump’s FCC ‘Colluded’ With CBS To Keep Colbert Interview Off Air

AUSTIN, Texas ― U.S. Senate candidate and Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D) said the Federal Communications Commission “colluded” with CBS executives to keep his interview with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert off the air this week.

“I think it’s safe to say that their plan backfired,” Talarico told hundreds of supporters at a rally in Austin on Tuesday. “These are the same people who ran against cancel culture, and now they’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.”

“They went after Jimmy Kimmel for telling a joke they didn’t like,” he added. “They went after Stephen Colbert for telling the truth about Paramount’s bribe to Donald Trump. Corporate media executives are selling out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians.”

Colbert tore into his employer on Monday night, accusing the network of caving to threats from the Federal Communications Commission by spiking his interview with Talarico.

“He was supposed to be here, but 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,” Colbert said on Monday.

The explosive accusation comes as the Trump administration is already facing widespread bipartisan criticism for abusing its authorities in order to stifle dissent, including from comedians Trump has often complained about, like Colbert and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel.

CBS denied Colbert’s accusation on Tuesday, maintaining he “was not prohibited by CBS” from broadcasting the interview, which later aired on YouTube.

“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,” a spokesperson for the network said.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr previously said he might hold talk shows to a standard that would require they provide equal time to opposing sides. But Colbert said on his program that CBS is enforcing a change in the equal time rule that hasn’t actually been implemented yet.

“My network is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had,” Colbert said. “I want to assure you that this decision is for purely financial reasons.”

Colbert, a frequent target of Trump’s attacks, is set to leave the network in May after it canceled his show last summer. The announcement came as its then-parent company Paramount was attempting to complete a merger that required approval from the FCC.

“Let’s just call this what it is: Donald Trump’s administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV,” the host said on Monday.

Talarico is vying against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) in the March 2 primary for the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas. He’s trailed Crockett in public polls, but the race is close, and it’s expected to go down to the wire.