DAVID MARCUS: How Stephen Colbert conned Dem donors and burned Jasmine Crockett

Texas Democratic Senate campaigner James Talarico’s run is $2.5 cardinal richer this week and a spot person to triumph aft Stephen Colbert, big of "The Late Show" connected CBS, made up a ridiculous prevarication astir being censored by President Trump.

It took a fewer days for the particulate to settle, but present that we person a wide representation of what happened, it is astir arsenic atrocious arsenic it tin be. In fact, it would apt beryllium a fireable discourtesy if the ratings challenged Colbert was not already slated to get the ax successful May.

Host Stephen Colbert during "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" connected July 21, 2025. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

According to Colbert’s mentation of events, which is falling isolated faster than a location of cards successful a upwind tunnel, helium was told by CBS lawyers connected Monday, conscionable minutes earlier helium was acceptable to interrogation Talarico, that helium could not aerial the conversation. Why? Because of the Trump medication Federal Communication Commission’s caller rules connected adjacent time.

A petulant Colbert went connected to archer his assemblage that helium wasn’t adjacent expected to notation being censored to them, but, putting connected his escaped code ace leader cape, helium would bash the interrogation anyway, defying his bosses and merchandise it connected YouTube.

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The lone occupation with each of this is that, according to some CBS and the FCC, cipher told Colbert the interrogation could not air. He conscionable made it up. All that happened was that CBS lawyers told him if helium had Talarico on, helium mightiness besides person to springiness adjacent clip to his Demcorat superior opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.

It is not wide wherefore Colbert would person immoderate contented with having Crockett on, unless possibly helium and his friends successful precocious places deliberation the preppy White Bible schoolhouse lad is much electable than the sassy Black finger-snapping lady.

Talarico was fundraising disconnected of Colbert’s prevarication wrong minutes and raked successful $2.5 million. Oh, and did I notation that aboriginal voting successful Texas started connected Tuesday, the time aft this duplicitous debacle?

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It genuinely was singular to watch. Even by Wednesday, erstwhile they knew rather good Colbert had not been censored, CNN had an full sheet that argued the Trump administration’s unit connected CBS had backfired due to the fact that of the fundraising and the 5 cardinal YouTube views the video got.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett told "The View" that President Trump was trying to beryllium the Nicolás Maduro of the U.S. connected Jan. 6, 2026. (ABC/TheView)

But determination was nary unit connected Colbert from the Trump administration. As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told Fox News Channel’s Laura Ingraham, "CBS was precise wide that Colbert could tally the interrogation that helium wanted with that governmental candidate. They conscionable said, you whitethorn person to comply with adjacent time… But alternatively of doing that, they claimed that they were victims."

All that the FCC has said, without taking immoderate action, is that it whitethorn enforce adjacent clip rules for speech shows, thing it has not done successful the past, but fixed however skewed precocious nighttime drama and daytime speech person become, it is worthy considering.

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"The View," ABC’s mid-morning miss gaggle, had 128 wide guests successful 2025 and lone 2 conservatives, 1 of which was histrion Cheryl Hines, who is really not conservative, conscionable joined to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Put bluntly, the crushed that the adjacent clip rules person not been enforced connected speech shows is that they ne'er had to be, due to the fact that Johnny Carson, Tom Snyder and Phil Donahue didn’t crook their shows into nonstop governmental ads. Obviously, that has changed.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called the uproar surrounding "Late Show" big Stephen Colbert's interrogation with Texas Democrat James Talarico a "hoax." (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Colbert has been precise wide that helium purposefully uses his "comedy show" to propulsion a governmental agenda, successful this case, to the payment of James Talarico and the detriment of Jasmine Crockett, who is present successful the awkward presumption of defending the Trump administration.

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However, wherever 1 comes down connected the adjacent clip rules, it is crystal wide that Colbert is conscionable flat-out, stone-cold lying erstwhile helium says they were utilized to prohibition his interrogation from the air. Sadly, it is simply a prevarication galore Democratic voters whitethorn instrumentality to their deathbeds.

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There were 2 large victims to Colbert’s perfidy, the archetypal being Crockett, who whitethorn beryllium discovering that she is simply a small excessively Brown and uppity for the affluent White men who inactive power wide media and politics.

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The 2nd unfortunate was the mean citizen, who was separated from their wealth based connected Colbert’s lies to capable the coffers of Talarico.

Thankfully, we lone person astir 2 much months to woody with Colbert’s nonsense and lies, astatine slightest connected CBS precocious night. After that helium tin spell to YouTube and interrogation anyone helium pleases, conscionable arsenic helium could person connected Monday night.

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