{"id":19540,"date":"2026-02-22T15:21:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=19540"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:21:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T15:21:14","slug":"stephen-colbert-canceled-a-left-wing-narrative-out-over-its-skis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=19540","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Colbert canceled? A left-wing narrative out over its skis"},"content":{"rendered":"


By Joshua Arnold<\/span><\/span>, Op-ed contributor Friday, February 20, 2026<\/span>Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, explains his view of Christianity during an interview that aired on the YouTube page “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Feb. 16, 2026.<\/span> | Screnshot\/YouTube\/The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/span><\/p>\n

A segment of the left-wing media ecosystem has jumped to a conclusion before establishing all the facts. <\/p>\n

At the behest of the Trump administration, Bari Weiss\u2019 CBS News prevented late-night host Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with U.S. Senate candidate and current Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, or so the story goes. But while the narrative may serve to confirm pleasant assumptions held on the Left, this curling stone lies nowhere near the button.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Talarico] was supposed to be here,\u201d Colbert told viewers in a\u00a0replacement monologue, \u201cbut we were told in no uncertain terms by our network\u2019s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast. 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\u2019t want us to talk about this, let\u2019s talk about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colbert\u2019s relationship with CBS News has been less-than-friendly since they announced the cancellation of his show in May, due to it\u00a0losing\u00a0the network $40 million per year.<\/p>\n

Talarico then weighed in with his own commentary on social media,\u00a0alleging\u00a0that President Trump tried to \u201csilence\u201d and \u201ccensor\u201d him and \u201cblock\u201d the airing of the interview in what is effectively \u201ccancel culture.\u201d Talarico\u00a0tweeted, \u201cThis is the interview Donald Trump didn\u2019t want you to see. His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert. Trump is worried we\u2019re about to flip Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several problems with these claims. First, CBS News flatly denied that they prevented the interview from airing. \u201cTHE LATE SHOW was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico,\u201d the network told CNN\u2019s Brian Stelter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled. THE LATE SHOW decided to present the interview through its YouTube channel with on-air promotion on the broadcast rather than potentially providing the equal-time options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once again, Solomon is proven prudent, \u201cThe one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him\u201d (Proverbs 18:17). The tidy victimization narrative falls apart on the fact that there is no victim.<\/p>\n

Second, the CBS-Trump connection falls flat because the network\u2019s decision was based on the equal-time rule. Per the\u00a0Communications Act of 1934, \u201cIf any licensee shall permit any person who is a legally qualified candidate for any public office to use a broadcasting station, he shall afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates for that office in the use of such broadcasting station.\u201d Congress later adopted some exceptions for \u201cbona fide news.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rule only\u00a0applies to broadcast stations like NBC, CBS and ABC, not cable or other types of news. And the FCC in 2022 clarified that stations aren\u2019t required to reach out to opposing candidates; the opposing candidates must request the equal time.<\/p>\n

None of that has anything to do with Trump\u2019s FCC. The only pertinent action from the Trump administration is a Jan. 21 statement\u00a0that \u201cthe FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FCC added an invitation to change their minds, \u201cAny program or station that wishes to obtain formal assurance that the equal opportunities requirement does not apply (in whole or in part) is encouraged to promptly file a petition for declaratory ruling that satisfies the statutory requirements for a bona fide news exemption.\u201d<\/p>\n

Third, Talarico is currently running in the Democratic primary. Voters\u00a0will choose between him, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and perennial candidate Ahmad Hassan on March 3. Why Trump would bother intervening in this Democratic primary contest, much less intervening to help Washington gadfly Crockett, is a point Talarico never explains. That\u2019s like a gold-medal favorite interfering in a heat between three dark-horse speed skaters: for what possible reason?<\/p>\n

Thus, it turns out the salacious narrative of press censorship turns out to have little to no factual basis. It seems spun up primarily to lift Colbert\u2019s television career from its current plunge, and at the same time boost Talarico in his primary race.<\/p>\n

The allegedly \u201ccensored\u201d\u00a0interview is now up to more than 6 million views on YouTube. What a victim these two are!<\/p>\n

The irony is that Talarico, a \u201cPresbyterian seminarian,\u201d spent the interview bashing the \u201creligious right\u201d for the way they have \u201cconvinced a lot of our fellow Christians that the most important issues were abortion and gay marriage \u2014 two issues that aren\u2019t mentioned in the Bible, two issues that Jesus never talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus in Matthew 25 tells us exactly how you and I and every one of our fellow believers, how we\u2019re going to be judged, and how we\u2019re going to be saved by feeding the hungry, by healing the sick, by welcoming the stranger. Nothing about going to church, nothing about voting Republican. It was all about how you treat other people,\u201d Talarico argued.<\/p>\n

Jesus also said, \u201cIf you would enter life, keep the commandments,\u201d including this one: \u201cYou shall not bear false witness\u201d (Matthew 19:17-18).<\/p>\n

An elected official once said, \u201cWhat you\u2019ve got is people baptizing their partisanship and calling that Christianity, when in reality your politics should grow out of your faith, not the other way around.\u201d That was James Talarico, in his\u00a0interview\u00a0with Stephen Colbert.<\/p>\n

Originally published at The Washington Stand.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand, contributing both news and commentary from a biblical worldview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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