President Donald Trump's efforts to pressure critical media figures and outlets through the FCC and other means are backfiring, boosting their audiences, visibility, and support via the Streisand effect — where attempts to suppress information draw far more attention.
An analysis in The Wrap Friday highlights this pattern, arguing that attacks on anti-Trump voices in media — including regulatory pressure from Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr — paradoxically fuel viral surges in views, ratings, subscribers, and engagement.
Most recent example: Stephen Colbert turned FCC-related pressure into a massive viral hit. In mid-February 2026, CBS advised against airing Colbert's taped interview with Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on The Late Show, citing concerns over the FCC's "equal time" rule (a 1934 Communications Act requirement for broadcasters to offer equal opportunities to opposing candidates). New January 2026 guidance from Carr tightened interpretations, suggesting late-night shows like Colbert's, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, or The View may no longer automatically qualify for news exemptions if featuring partisan-leaning interviews.
Colbert defied the guidance by discussing the issue on air — criticizing CBS and the administration for censorship — and released the full interview as a YouTube exclusive. It exploded, garnering millions of views (reports of 3.8 million to over 7-8 million in days), becoming one of his most-watched segments in months. The clip boosted Talarico's profile in his competitive Senate race and transformed the pressure into free publicity for administration critics.
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| Kimmel and Colbert |
This echoes earlier backfires:
- Don Lemon saw a sharp online surge after his late-January 2026 arrest tied to a Minnesota church protest over immigration raids (charged with others amid claims of intimidation). Many viewed it as politically motivated pressure on journalism, leading to hundreds of thousands of new Instagram followers and YouTube subscribers, amplifying his independent content.
- Jimmy Kimmel experienced a ratings bonanza in September 2025 after ABC temporarily suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! over controversial remarks related to right-wing figures. The return episode drew massive viewership — around 6 million+ viewers (triple his average) — and tens of millions of YouTube views on the monologue. Kimmel jokingly thanked Trump for the boost, underscoring how backlash drives interest.
The Wrap analysis describes these as part of a broader counterproductive pattern: Trump's direct criticisms, license revocation threats, or FCC actions (often targeting perceived partisan content while sparing conservative outlets) rally supporters around targeted hosts, attract free-speech sympathy, and turn suppression into digital-era marketing gold via YouTube and social clips.
In today's controversy-driven media landscape, such strategies risk alienating wider audiences, reinforcing overreach narratives, and inadvertently aiding opposition figures' traction.