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FCC's Carr Calls Colbert-Talarico Controversy a 'Hoax' - Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Feb 18, 2026 Latest Videos from Bloomberg Radio
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency’s rules regarding equal air time for political candidates and said the controversy over an interview between CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert and Texas state Representative James Talarico — that never aired on the network — wasn’t the result of government censorship. Talarico, who is seeking a US Senate seat, used the incident to grab attention and campaign donations as he faces off against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in a closely watched primary race, according to Carr. “You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way the news media works and he took advantage of all the viewers’ prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks,” Carr said at an open FCC meeting on Wednesday. Talarico's interview with Colbert was ultimately posted to the show’s YouTube channel as an “online exclusive.” Colbert said on his program Tuesday that millions of people watched the clip online. Matthew Schettenhelm, Bloomberg Intelligence Media Litigation Analyst, and Bloomberg News Media Reporter Hannah Miller join Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss. They speak with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.
The commissioner was responding to questions after Colbert said on his late-night talk show on Monday that he had been barred by CBS from airing an interview with Talarico and couldn’t mention the politician’s name.
CBS, which is owned by Paramount Skydance Corp., denied blocking the interview and said Colbert was only told that Talarico’s appearance could run afoul of FCC requirements that political candidates are given equal air time.
“Because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this,” Colbert said on Monday.
The host, who is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, is in his last weeks behind the desk at The Late Show, after CBS said last year that it is canceling the program starting this May.
The FCC told broadcasters in January that talk shows and late-night programs that host political candidates must offer their opponents equal air time, unlike “bona fide” news programs that qualify for an exemption. Carr said that CBS had several options, including airing the Talarico interview outside of Texas, having all the legally qualified candidates on air or filing for an exemption. “Congress passed the equal-time provision for a very specific reason,” Carr said. “They didn’t want the media elites in Hollywood and New York to put their thumb on the scale and pick the winners and losers in primaries and general elections.”
An interview with Talarico on ABC’s daytime talkshow The View triggered an equal-time investigation by the FCC earlier this month. Carr said “it’s an enforcement matter we’re taking seriously.” He criticized the media’s coverage of the Colbert incident and noted that “the whole idea here is more speech, not less.”
The interview with Talarico was posted to the show’s YouTube channel as an “online exclusive.” Colbert said on his program Tuesday that millions of people watched the clip online. “I wish we could have put it on the show, where no one would have watched it,” he said.
Talarico raised $2.5 million after the clip aired, making it his campaign’s largest single-day haul.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency’s rules regarding equal air time for political candidates and said the controversy over an interview between CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert and Texas state Representative James Talarico — that never aired on the network — wasn’t the result of government censorship. Talarico, who is seeking a US Senate seat, used the incident to grab attention and campaign donations as he faces off against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in a closely watched primary race, according to Carr. “You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way the news media works and he took advantage of all the viewers’ prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks,” Carr said at an open FCC meeting on Wednesday. Talarico's interview with Colbert was ultimately posted to the show’s YouTube channel as an “online exclusive.” Colbert said on his program Tuesday that millions of people watched the clip online. Matthew Schettenhelm, Bloomberg Intelligence Media Litigation Analyst, and Bloomberg News Media Reporter Hannah Miller join Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss. They speak with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.
The commissioner was responding to questions after Colbert said on his late-night talk show on Monday that he had been barred by CBS from airing an interview with Talarico and couldn’t mention the politician’s name.
CBS, which is owned by Paramount Skydance Corp., denied blocking the interview and said Colbert was only told that Talarico’s appearance could run afoul of FCC requirements that political candidates are given equal air time.
“Because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this,” Colbert said on Monday.
The host, who is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, is in his last weeks behind the desk at The Late Show, after CBS said last year that it is canceling the program starting this May.
The FCC told broadcasters in January that talk shows and late-night programs that host political candidates must offer their opponents equal air time, unlike “bona fide” news programs that qualify for an exemption. Carr said that CBS had several options, including airing the Talarico interview outside of Texas, having all the legally qualified candidates on air or filing for an exemption. “Congress passed the equal-time provision for a very specific reason,” Carr said. “They didn’t want the media elites in Hollywood and New York to put their thumb on the scale and pick the winners and losers in primaries and general elections.”
An interview with Talarico on ABC’s daytime talkshow The View triggered an equal-time investigation by the FCC earlier this month. Carr said “it’s an enforcement matter we’re taking seriously.” He criticized the media’s coverage of the Colbert incident and noted that “the whole idea here is more speech, not less.”
The interview with Talarico was posted to the show’s YouTube channel as an “online exclusive.” Colbert said on his program Tuesday that millions of people watched the clip online. “I wish we could have put it on the show, where no one would have watched it,” he said.
Talarico raised $2.5 million after the clip aired, making it his campaign’s largest single-day haul.
In this interview, Schettenhelm is on-target on the root cause of the current FCC witch hunt: Back in 1934, Congress gave the FCC wide latitude to interpret equal time laws. That explains why in '06 the FCC allowed Jay Leno to interview only Arnold Schwarzenegger (then running for re-election as CA Governor) without inviting other candidates, but then the FCC is reconsidering that ruling now.
Funny how conservatives often criticize the administrative state (empowerment of government agencies to administer laws, as opposed to the legislative branch being more direct) but carve out exemptions like here.
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