The Late Show's Stephen Colbert Criticizes CBS for Legal Interference in Interview with Rep. James Talarico
Stephen Colbert criticized CBS for releasing a statement denying that it pulled his interview with Rep. James Talarico from Sunday night's broadcast without his knowledge. Colbert read the statement on air and joked about its legalistic language. He explained that CBS' legal team had given him notes about how to handle the situation, which was a first in the 11 seasons of "The Late Show."
Colbert revealed that CBS lawyers had called the show's staff and instructed them not to air the interview with Rep. Talarico due to the FCC's "equal time" rule. He pointed out that there is an exception to this rule for talk shows like his, but CBS was enforcing it as if the exception did not exist. Colbert humorously suggested that the decision to cancel the interview was made for financial reasons and criticized the Trump administration for trying to silence critics on TV.
In conclusion, Colbert expressed his surprise at CBS not standing up to what he called "bullies" and emphasized that he did not want an adversarial relationship with the network. He thanked CBS for the 11 years he had worked there and expressed his disappointment at the situation. Colbert's frustration with the network's handling of the interview and the legal interference in his show was evident throughout his monologue.