‘FCC you!’ Stephen Colbert rages against TV fairness rules as he’s about to go off air

A late-night TV entertainer who actually is about to lose his show and go off the air has delivered a rage-filled rant about the nation’s fairness rules.

Those are the standards imposed by the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that programs using the publicly owned airwaves under license are reasonably fair, and that one-sided political agendas have restrictions.

The Daily Mail said Stephen Colbert, whose show is slated for cancellation, unleashed minutes of whines and complaints about the “equal time rule.”

WHAT A SHAME: Stephen Colbert’s Ratings for January Crash to Record Low, Just Ahead of Show’s Discontinuation https://t.co/RDGM8ym8TU

— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) January 27, 2026

Colbert also has been known for pushing the edges of extremism, including his comment that Nazis were better than today’s Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal law enforcement officers, tasked with enforcing the nation’s border and immigration laws.

Stephen Colbert: “Do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.”pic.twitter.com/JzMbqTO3C9

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 29, 2026

Colbert’s latest stunt was to complain that his own network, following FCC requirements, barred him from promoting one side in a Texas political fight by giving Texas Rep. James Talarico, 36, who is running for a Senate seat, free time on publicly owned airwaves.

“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,” he complained.

He also said he was told not to discuss the problem, but did so anyway.

In fact, Colbert did interview Talarico but the segment was not broadcast.

“And because my network clearly does not want us to talk about this… let’s talk about this,” he insisted.

The FCC previously had allowed exemptions for talk show entertainers, like Jay Leno, to have politicians on the show without repercussions. But the federal agency announced just weeks ago that was over.

The actual rule calls for broadcasters to provide equal air time to the other side when a show promotes one side of a political issue or race.

Colbert Says CBS Refused To Air His Interview With Democrat Candidate Fearing FCC Blowbackhttps://t.co/kviOdSbID3 pic.twitter.com/jCeiPQ72PU

— Forbes (@Forbes) February 17, 2026

Colbert also unleashed a personal attack on FCC chief Brendan Carr, accusing him of enforcing fairness rules because of “partisan purposes.”

Colbert then delivered an “FCC you!” to the government, as well as those at CBS who have canceled his show because reports confirmed it was losing $40 million a year.

WorldNetDaily reported when the FCC removed the exemptions it had allowed over the years, which essentially turned broadcast talk shows into the domain of Democrats and other leftists.

For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night & daytime talk shows qualify as “bona fide news” programs – even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes.

Today, the FCC reminded them of their obligation to provide all candidates with equal opportunities pic.twitter.com/sWiQmqQHCq

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) January 21, 2026

The FCC says that daytime and late-night TV talk shows featuring interviews with political candidates must comply with “equal time” rules, which require them to provide airtime to opposing candidates’ views. https://t.co/qKnJVVTvtl

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 22, 2026

The New York Post explained at the time the Federal Communications Commission said it will step up enforcement of politically driven daytime and late-night programming to ensure equal treatment for both sides of the aisle.

“The law states that if a broadcaster allows one eligible candidate to appear or use its facilities, it must offer the same chance to every other eligible candidate for that office,” the Post reported.

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez said, “Nothing has fundamentally changed with respect to our political broadcasting rules. … The FCC has not adopted any new regulation, interpretation, or Commission-level policy altering the long-standing news exemption or equal time framework.

“For decades, the Commission has recognized that bona fide news interviews, late-night programs, and daytime news shows are entitled to editorial discretion based on newsworthiness, not political favoritism.”

The announcement does, in fact, indicate a change in enforcement.

Carr doubled down on the statements in a post on X, writing, “For years, legacy TV networks assumed that their late night and daytime talk shows qualify as ‘bona fide news’ programs — even when motivated by purely partisan political purposes.”

A study that included Colbert’s monologues confirmed “99% of late-night guests were liberals during the final six months of 2025.”

‘Equal time’: FCC puts on notice talk shows that interview favorite candidates