FCC Commissioner Slams CBS for ‘Capitulation’

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez sharply criticized CBS on Tuesday for refusing to broadcast Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" interview Monday night with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, calling it "yet another troubling example of corporate capitulation" to political pressure from the Trump administration.

Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner at the FCC and a Biden appointee confirmed in 2023, stated that the network's self-censorship was unnecessary and stemmed from intimidation efforts. 

"The FCC has no lawful authority to pressure broadcasters for political purposes or to create a climate that chills free expression," she wrote. "CBS is fully protected under the First Amendment to determine what interviews it airs, which makes its decision to yield to political pressure all the more disappointing."

The controversy erupted when Colbert revealed on air that CBS lawyers had barred the Talarico interview from the broadcast and initially instructed him not to mention it. Defying the directive, Colbert openly discussed the situation, criticized FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and highlighted the agency's recent guidance questioning the long-standing exemption of talk shows from the equal-time rule. That rule requires broadcasters to offer equal opportunities to opposing candidates if airtime is given to one during an election period.

Colbert explained that CBS cited concerns over the equal-time rule, though such interviews on talk shows have historically been exempt as "bona fide news." He proceeded with the interview anyway, posting it to the show's YouTube channel instead.

The incident follows broader FCC actions under Carr, including January 2026 guidance suggesting that late-night and daytime talk shows motivated by "partisan purposes" may no longer qualify for the news exemption, prompting fears of regulatory overreach and chilled speech among broadcasters.