Stephen Colbert revealed that CBS prevented him from interviewing Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico due to an FCC threat regarding the equal-time rule. The host said network lawyers explicitly forbade both the interview and any mention of the blocked appearance on last night's episode of The Late Show. "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.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr recently warned that late-night shows might lose their bona fide news exemption to the equal-time rule, which generally requires stations to provide comparable time to opposing candidates. Carr's letter sparked controversy after he opened an investigation into ABC's The View following an interview with Talarico. Colbert accused Carr of partisan motivation, saying the move appears designed to silence criticism of Donald Trump.

Despite CBS's restrictions, Colbert conducted the interview anyway, posting it on his show's YouTube channel. He criticized the unequal treatment of late-night television versus talk radio, noting that Carr specifically exempted right-wing radio from scrutiny. The incident highlights growing concerns about political influence over broadcast regulations, with Colbert pointing out that a mere threat—not an actual rule change—was enough to silence his network.