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The Chris Cuomo Project

Why the FCC Is Going After Colbert

The Chris Cuomo Project

Chris Cuomo

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.53.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Chris Cuomo breaks down why CBS and Paramount blocked Stephen Colbert from broadcasting an interview with Texas State Rep. James Talarico and why the justification being floated about the “equal time” rule doesn’t hold up. Cuomo walks through the history of the 1934 Communications Act, the Mayflower Doctrine, and the Fairness Doctrine to explain what the FCC actually regulates — and what it doesn’t. He argues that CBS did not have to preempt the interview to comply with the law, and questions whether this move was about legal risk or political pressure. The deeper issue, Cuomo says, isn’t just one guest or one late-night show. It’s how corporate media, government influence, and outdated regulations intersect — and why social media platforms operate with fewer guardrails than broadcast ever did. More speech, not less, is the answer, but only if it’s applied consistently. Join The Chris Cuomo Project on YouTube for ad-free episodes, early releases, exclusive access to Chris, and more: https://www.youtube.com/@chriscuomo/join Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday: https://linktr.ee/cuomoproject Get 15% off OneSkin with code cuomo at https://www.oneskin.co/cuomo. #oneskinpod Head to https://factormeals.com/cuomo50off and use code cuomo50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year. Eat like a pro this month with Factor. Reverse hair loss with iRestore and get exclusive savings on the iRestore Elite—use code CUOMO at https://irestore.com/cuomo! #irestorepod Go to https://Leesa.com for 30% off mattresses PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code CUOMO, exclusive for my listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:03.0

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0:23.2

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0:30.1

You know who is not one of my guests tonight?

0:32.6

That's Texas State Representative James Tala Rico.

0:36.2

He was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network's

0:41.3

lawyers who called us directly that we could not have him on the broadcast.

0:46.3

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.

0:56.5

And because my network clearly doesn't want us to talk about this, let's talk about this.

1:03.9

Ooh, scary time in America.

1:09.4

Everybody likes to say they're for free speech. Everybody likes to say

1:13.3

they're against censorship until they don't like the speech. Until they'd rather see somebody

1:21.7

or something not platformed. There is so much wrong in this situation.

1:28.3

Now, there is a little boost also that I'll talk to you about.

1:32.3

Somebody's a big winner here. Somebody's a big winner.

1:35.3

And there's a lot that's a big loser.

1:38.3

And this is also a window into something that is so dangerous and so little is known about it.

1:47.9

And I will take you through the history and I will take you through the mystery that is

1:53.4

our quickly eroding fundamental freedom.

...

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