Headline Roundup • February 18th, 2026
Colbert Criticizes CBS, Says His Bosses Blocked a Scheduled Interview
Summary from the AllSides News Team
"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert slammed CBS, saying his planned interview with Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico (D) was blocked.
The Details: Colbert fired back at CBS after the network denied that it had blocked his interview from airing. CBS said the broadcast could trigger the FCC Equal-time rule, which requires U.S. radio and television stations to provide "equivalent access" to competing political candidates.
Key Quotes: CBS said in a statement: "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." Colbert said, "You know who is not one of my guests tonight? That's Texas State Representative James 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."
For Context: The latest season of Colbert's show will be its last after it was canceled last July after an 11-year run.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the political spectrum reported that Colbert said he was not consulted before the statement blocking the interview with Talarico was released. Axios (Lean Left bias) reported that Colbert accused Paramount, parent company of CBS, of not standing up to "bullies" and a recent Trump administration directive.
Featured Coverage of this Story
CBS/Late Show
Late-night host Stephen Colbert fired back at a statement from CBS on Tuesday denying that the network blocked his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico from airing.
"I said my piece last night. We made some jokes β it's what they pay me for β and I was ready to let the whole thing go. Until a few hours ago, when my group chat blowed up because, without ever talking to me, the corporation put out this press release. This statement," he said, holding a piece of paper with CBS'...
US late-night host Stephen Colbert has accused his network of refusing to broadcast an interview with a Democratic politician over fears of retaliation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
CBS, the network which hosts the programme, denies that it "prohibited" the interview from being aired, saying it gave only "legal guidance".
On Monday night's show, Colbert said that CBS would not show his interview with Texas lawmaker James Talarico out of concerns about a response from the FCC, which has new guidance on equal airtime for political candidates.
"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert criticized CBS on Monday night, saying the network blocked his interview with U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico from airing.
"You know who is not one of my guests tonight? That's Texas State Representative James Talarico," Colbert told his studio audience. "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. Then I was told in some uncertain terms that not only could I...
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