"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, the host continued, adding: 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. And because my network clearly does not want us to talk about this Let's talk about this."
"Colbert linked the decision to new guidance from Carr on the equal time rule, which requires broadcasters to offer comparable airtime to rival candidates if a qualified political contender appears. Historically, news programming and in practice many late-night shows have been treated as exempt under the bonafide news exception. Carr signalled in a letter that exemption may not automatically apply to entertainment talk shows, saying determinations could hinge on whether there was a partisan motivation in booking a candidate."
Stephen Colbert said CBS lawyers prevented him from interviewing Texas state representative James Talarico on The Late Show, citing legal concerns. Network lawyers reportedly told Colbert the appearance could not proceed and initially forbade mentioning the prohibition on air. Colbert connected the decision to recent Federal Communications Commission guidance from chairman Brendan Carr about the equal-time rule and the possible narrowing of the bonafide news exception. Carr's letter suggested exemptions may depend on whether partisan motivation existed when booking a candidate. Colbert accused the FCC and the Trump administration of partisan enforcement and warned of a chilling effect on late-night programs.
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