FCC Denies Censorship of Colbert Interview, Probes The View
FCC Denies Censorship of Colbert Interview, Probes The View
FCC chief says there was no censorship of Colbert's interview, while an inquiry examines equal-time rules for ABC's The View amid political interviews.
WASHINGTON — The chair of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said there was no censorship of Stephen Colbert's interview with a Texas Democrat running for the U.S. Senate, and confirmed the agency is examining ABC's The View for potential equal-time violations.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr noted Colbert could have aired the interview with Texas State Representative James Talarico if the Late Show had met equal-time requirements—either by airing interviews with opposing Democrats or by not running the segment in Texas. Talarico had claimed that efforts to censor the interview came from the Trump era, and that Colbert was barred from broadcasting the segment.
The commission had previously indicated that daytime and late-night talk shows were no longer considered bona fide news programs and thus were not exempt from equal-time rules, which require airtime for views of opposing candidates. Colbert later posted the interview with Talarico on YouTube, where the video had amassed more than 6 million views by midweek, underscoring how audiences can access the content outside traditional broadcasts.
Carr stressed that there was no censorship in this case and emphasized broadcasters’ responsibility to comply with FCC rules. He also confirmed that an enforcement action has been opened into whether ABC’s The View violated equal-time requirements after an earlier interview with Talarico. Colbert has said that network lawyers barred the airing, and the FCC’s new guidance from January states that daytime and late-night programs are not automatically exempt from equal-time obligations for candidate interviews.
The developments highlight a renewed debate over how political content is handled on entertainment programs, and how regulatory rules apply when political figures appear on shows outside traditional news formats. With the Colbert interview circulating online and the FCC stepping in on equal-time concerns, stakeholders will be watching closely for the agency’s next steps and any potential penalties or clarifications on how rules should be enforced.
