Stephen A. Smith recently claimed late-night comedy hosts had rattled Trump and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), further adding that the hosts brought the FCC controversy on themselves. This came after late night television host Stephen Colbert claimed that CBS pulled his interview with Texas state Representative James Talarico for fear of FCC’s retaliation.
Talarico was scheuled to appear on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show on February 16, 2026. However, the interview did not air on the network and was instead uploaded on the show’s YouTube page. During the Monday episode, Colbert also explained why the interview, where he and Talarico spoke about the politician’s Democratic nomination for Senate and the recent FCC crackdown, didn’t air on CBS.
Radio host Stephen A. Smith addressed the controvesy during the February 19 episode of Straight Shooter. He questioned why late night comedy hosts targeted only Trump and didn’t go after everybody, saying:
“This is my issue: These are brilliant late-night hosts who are comedic geniuses. Why not go after everybody? See, the problem is, everybody talked about Trump so much that it was so one-sided cause it’s clear, you know, the disgust and the vitriol he evokes and they felt for him. You’ve got to hit everybody when you’re a comedian. Nobody is supposed to be safe. No one is supposed to be spared.”
He added:
“Hell, when I go into a place, I expect them to be teasing me about my hairline… So what? That’s what comedians do. Late night stopped doing that when it came to practically everybody else but Trump… Had they spared no one, Trump and his influence over the FCC clearly exist, none of that would have been enough for them to invoke their wishes the way that they’ve tried.”
Trump previously hinted at FCC revoking the license of televison broadcasters
During the February 16 episode of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert explained why his interview with Texas state Representative James Talarico did not air in CBS. Durign his statement, the television host suggested that CBS lawyers told him they could not have the policitian on the broadcast and also supposedly prohibited Colbert from talking about the incident on the broadcast.
“He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast. Then, then I was told in some uncertain terms that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on. And because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this,” Colbert said.
According to NBC News, CBS denied this claim in an emailed statement, saying that the network did not prohibit Colbert or The Late Show from airing the episode. The statement further added that the talk show was provided “legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates.”
For those uninformed, the FCC‘s equal time rule prohibits networks and radios from hosting political candidates durign the election season without giving equal airtime to the opponents. However, Colbert claimed that the rule did not apply to talk show interviews with political candidate.
Meanwhile, Brendan Carr, the chairman of Trump’s FCC, addressed the controversy during an FCC meeting meeting on February 18, saying that the media should “feel a bit ashamed for having been lied to and then run with those lies.”
This is not the first time the FCC has clashed with late night shows in recent times. In September 2025, Brendan Carr strongly condemned Jimmy Kimmel‘s comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s supposed assassin during an episode of his late-night talk show, resulting in ABC temporarily suspending the program.
At the time, Trump praised the decision and suggested that the FCC could revoke the license of broadcasters that gave him “bad publicity” saying:
“I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr. I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy, so we’ll have to see.”
In July 2025, Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show was canceled by CBS due to financial pressure and the talk show’s final episode will be aired in May 2026.
Edited by Juhi Marzia
