FCC Chair Calls Colbert's Censorship Claims 'Fake News'

Brendan Carr says CBS's decision to pull a Democratic lawmaker's interview was due to the FCC's equal time rule, not government censorship.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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FCC Chair Brendan Carr has dismissed Stephen Colbert's claims that the government pressured CBS to pull an interview with a Democratic Texas state representative from "The Late Show." Carr says CBS's decision was an appropriate response to prevent the FCC from enforcing its equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to provide equivalent airtime to legally qualified political candidates. Carr told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that the incident was "Democrat on Democrat violence" rather than evidence of government censorship.

Why it matters

The equal time rule has rarely been enforced in recent decades, and broadcasters had generally understood that interviews on late-night talk shows were exempt. However, the FCC recently issued revised guidance stating this is not the case, raising concerns about the potential impact on political coverage and free speech.

The details

According to Carr, CBS advised "The Late Show" not to air an interview with James Talarico, a Democratic Texas state representative running for a US Senate seat, in order to prevent the FCC from enforcing the equal time rule. Carr said the commission is also pursuing "enforcement actions" against "The View" over its broadcast of an interview with Talarico. Carr accused "establishment Democrats" of wanting "to put the thumb on the scale" in the primary race between Talarico and his opponent, Jasmine Crockett.

  • The FCC issued revised guidance to stations last month stating that interviews on daytime and late-night talk shows are not exempt from the equal time rule.
  • Colbert told his viewers on Monday that CBS lawyers said "in no uncertain terms" that his show could not air the interview with Talarico.

The players

Brendan Carr

The Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Stephen Colbert

The host of "The Late Show" on CBS.

James Talarico

A Democratic Texas state representative running for a US Senate seat.

Jasmine Crockett

A Democratic candidate running against Talarico in the primary race for the US Senate seat.

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What they’re saying

“Perhaps Colbert and other establishment Democrats want to put the thumb on the scale in this Democrat primary for one candidate over the other.”

— Brendan Carr, FCC Chair (Fox News)

“What we're doing now is simply applying the law on the books in an even-handed manner, and for people that benefited from a two-tier system of justice during the Biden years, they may feel like that's weaponization, but that doesn't make it so.”

— Brendan Carr, FCC Chair (Fox News)

What’s next

The FCC is pursuing "enforcement actions" against "The View" over its broadcast of an interview with Talarico, and the commission will continue to enforce the equal time rule on broadcasters.

The takeaway

The FCC's enforcement of the equal time rule, which has rarely been applied in recent decades, raises concerns about the potential impact on political coverage and free speech, particularly as broadcasters navigate the revised guidance from the commission.