Censorship of Colbert interview sparks free speech debate ahead of Texas primary

CBS’s decision to block the broadcast of Stephen Colbert’s interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has sparked a wave of backlash online this week, with many arguing that the move is an infringement on free speech.

Colbert said in his opening monologue that CBS advised The Late Show not to broadcast its interview with Talarico due to concerns related to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

“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,” Colbert said. “Then I was told in 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.”

He went on to criticise both the FCC and US President Donald Trump, suggesting that dissent against the Trump administration was being suppressed under the guise of ensuring talk shows were not driven by “partisan purposes”.

Although the interview did not air on television, it was later published on the show’s YouTube page.

“If people are watching this, it’s because they found us … on YouTube,” Colbert said, before he jokingly asked the Texas representative whether he intended “to cause trouble”.

“I think Donald Trump is worried that we’re about to flip Texas,” Talarico responded. “This is the party that ran against cancel culture. And this is the most dangerous kind of cancel culture, the kind that comes from the top.”

“Corporate media executives are selling out the First Amendment to curry favour with corrupt politicians. A threat to any of our First Amendment rights is a threat to all of our First Amendment rights,” he continued.

The incident marks the second time Talarico has faced FCC-related scrutiny. The first came after an investigation was reportedly opened into the daytime talk show The View, following his appearance on the programme.

The candidate’s Colbert interview is circulating widely across social media, with many users accusing the FCC and Trump of undermining Americans’ First Amendment rights.

"The party (GOP) and politician (Trump) who spent the past decade screaming about free speech and snowflakes have declared war on late night comedians, have tried to get them sacked, have banned their guest," journalist Mehdi Hassan posted on X. "Putin and Orban would be proud."

One social media user on X claimed that no US president has been "more hostile to free speech than Donald Trump" before warning that the censorship will eventually backfire.

The fact that they pulled Stephen Colbert's interview with James Talarico because they fear FCC backlash then told him not to talk about it makes me wonder how many interviews have been pulled over these concerns and at how many networks?

— Covie (@covie_93) February 17, 2026

"So much for 'free speech absolutists' when it comes to someone who knows how to speak to Americans with heart and guts," another social media user posted on X. "Bravo to Colbert." 

A European also chimed in on the discourse on X, calling out the hypocrisy of the Trump administration, which has repeatedly pointed to other countries for censoring freedom of speech. 

Electoral politics

Some echoed Talarico’s sentiment from the interview, saying that Trump is censoring the candidate out of fear of what may happen if a Democrat were to win the Senate seat in Texas. The last time a Democrat won a US Senate seat in Texas was 1988. 

"Trump knows Talarico can not only flip the Texas Senate seat to blue he can cause a massive down ballot blue Texas Tsunami!" one social media user posted on X. "That's why he censured this interview."

Another post on X reads: "To go to all this trouble, and coordinate with the FCC means they are having *SERIOUS* internal discussions about Texas. And they know @jamestalarico is a threat!"

While many posts criticise CBS and the FCC for censoring the interview, others argue that this could be the best thing to have happened to Talarico just two weeks before the primary vote on 3 March. 

"Good fucking morning to everybody except Bari Weiss at CBS and Brendan Carr at the FCC for refusing to air Stephen Colbert’s interview with James Talarico," a social media user on X said.

"All you’ve managed to do is make sure that MORE people see the interview and get a chance to learn about Talarico’s Senate campaign."

The FCC just helped create a Democratic Senator from Texas. Unreal self-own.

— Stefan Smith (@TheStefanSmith) February 17, 2026

"This interview getting spiked for broadcast is like the single best thing that could happen to Talarico as early voting starts," another post reads. 

Another social media user argued that attempts by the Trump administration to censor the interview would backfire, saying the move would create “a million James Talaricos” rather than suppress dissent.

One social media user compiled viewership statistics from across platforms, claiming the video has already amassed more than 10 million views, significantly surpassing the show’s typical television audience of around two million per episode.

In the Democratic primary, Talarico is facing Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who has drawn criticism from many Americans for her continued support of Israel despite the carnage in Gaza. She voted to send "$14B more in weapons after it had killed 34,000+ Palestinians". Crocket visited Israel as part of a congressional trip in August of 2023.

In contrast, Talarico has been outspoken about having zero ties with the Israel-lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee and has had a firm stance against sending foreign aid to Israel throughout the genocide in Gaza.

“There's a theologian who said, ‘I screamed at God for the starving children, until I realized the starving children was God screaming at me’ & God is screaming at all of us in Gaza as we speak...”

—James Talarico (Texas State Representative) pic.twitter.com/PH4mUGUUAK

— The Resonance (@Partisan_12) October 3, 2025

In an MSNBC interview from late last year, Talarico – who is public about his Christian beliefs – made a statement that circulated widely online when he was asked about his opinions on Gaza. 

"There’s a theologian who said, ‘I screamed at God for the starving children until I realized that the starving children was God screaming at me'," he said. "And God is screaming at all of us in Gaza as we speak."