FCC chairman denies ‘hoax’ that agency blocked Colbert-Talarico interview: ‘Highly entertained’

Published February 18, 2026 4:25pm ET



Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters he was “highly entertained” by the drama unfolding surrounding The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s interview with Texas Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

Carr made his first public statements on Wednesday in the fallout of CBS News not airing Colbert’s interview with Talarico on the late-night broadcast. Colbert has sparred with CBS on whether he was barred from airing the interview by his corporate bosses or was “provided legal guidance” against doing so, as CBS said in its statement.

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