https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/02/17/colberts-banned-interview-with-rep-talarico-becomes-his-most-watched-interview-in-months/Texas Democratic Senate candidate Rep. James
Talarico said Wednesday his campaign raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert claimed CBS blocked his interview with the contender from airing over regulatory concerns."
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By banning the interview, it’s possible CBS put more eyes onto it; his show was the second most watched late-night show last week with an average of 2.32 million viewers..."
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By 12 p.m. EST Wednesday, more than 5.7 million people had watched Colbert’s interview on YouTube, which was posted late Monday despite the host telling his audience that CBS’ lawyers would not allow him to have Talarico on the broadcast.
Adding in views from Colbert and Talarico’s Facebook, X and TikTok accounts that also posted the video, the Talarico campaign claimed it had been viewed more than 40 million times by Wednesday morning, including more than 12 million views on an X post when the Senate candidate referenced “the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see” (a Forbes tally found views of the clip across measurable platforms was around 30 million)."
"Well sir, you're chairman of the FCC, so FCC you," Colbert directed at Car, who was appointed by Trump. "Because I think you are motivated by partisan purposes yourself. Sir, you smelt it 'cause you dealt it."
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There were 6,481,794 views of Colbert's interview with Mr. Talarico on YouTube as of February 17.
to political candidates' seeking the same office, said The Associated Press.
Talarico is running for U.S. Senate, so that rule would seem to suggest that his Democratic
primary opponents would get airtime if he had been featured on Colbert’s show.
(The rule does not apply to streaming services, which is why the Talarico interview is featured
on Colbert’s YouTube channel.) But the mandate 'hasn’t traditionally been applied to talk shows.'
Colbert’s staff 'can’t find one example of this rule being enforced for any talk show interview'
going back to the 1960s, the host said Tuesday night."
"FCC Chair Brendan Carr issued new guidance in January, saying late night and other talk shows
would no longer be covered by the exemption, said Politico. The shows are often 'motivated
by purely partisan political purposes,' Carr said, and going forward must 'provide all candidates
with equal opportunities.' But critics saw a partisan play on the part of Carr, a Republican.
His announcement did not include equal time enforcement for 'talk radio,
which conservatives dominate,' said David A. Graham at The Atlantic."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fcc-equal-time-rule-works-202739030.html