MS NOW Host Lawrence O'Donnell Torches CBS Over Canceled Colbert Interview
In a fiery segment on Tuesday, MS NOW host Lawrence O'Donnell launched a scathing attack on CBS for pulling an interview from "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." O'Donnell attributed the decision to what he called "the weakest, most cowardly corporate lawyers in America," accusing them of caving to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission under former President Donald Trump.
The "Colbert Bump" Takes a New Meaning
O'Donnell referenced a term coined by Stephen Colbert in 2006: "the Colbert bump," which described the surge in popularity someone could experience after appearing on his show. "And now the Colbert bump has taken on new meaning," O'Donnell declared. "We here at 'The Last Word' stand ready to accept any guest on this program after that guest is bumped out of Stephen Colbert's show by cowardly corporate lawyers."
Legal and Factual Errors Exposed
The controversy centered on CBS's decision to spike an interview with Texas state Representative James Talarico, a Democrat, over fears related to the FCC's equal-time rule. O'Donnell played a clip of Colbert revealing this on Monday and then tore apart the legal reasoning. "The CBS lawyers are factually and legally wrong, as anyone who knows the law should know," O'Donnell asserted. "It would be impossible for James Talarico's appearance or any politician's appearance on Stephen Colbert's show to trigger the FCC equal-time rule."
He explained that this rule, which requires broadcasters to provide opposing candidates with equal airtime, does not apply to entertainment programs like Colbert's show. O'Donnell also read a statement from FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez, who wrote that CBS's decision "to yield to political pressure all the more disappointing." Gomez emphasized, "The FCC is powerless to impose restrictions on protected speech, and any attempt to intimidate broadcasters into self-censorship undermines both press freedom and public trust."
Political Context and Corporate Ties
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has threatened to enforce the equal-time rule for TV talk shows but has not yet taken action. Colbert joked on Tuesday that "CBS generously did it for him" by canceling the interview, leading to his own critique of the network the previous night. Colbert remarked, "Donald Trump's administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV because all Trump does is watch TV. He's like a toddler with too much screen time. He gets cranky and then drops a load in his diapers."
O'Donnell noted that CBS later released the interview with Talarico on YouTube. He also highlighted that Paramount Global, CBS's parent company, paid Trump $16 million last year before the FCC approved its $8 billion merger with Skydance. "Remember this about the CBS lawyers," O'Donnell urged viewers. "They are the weakest, most cowardly corporate lawyers in America." He then welcomed Talarico onto his program for an interview.
Talarico's Candid Remarks
During the interview, Talarico, a U.S. Senate candidate, offered candid insights into the backlash. "I think the reason the Trump administration and their billionaire friends are trying to silence me and this movement is because they're worried that we are going to flip Texas in November," he said, referring to mounting concerns about government corruption. He added, "We're going to have to do a lot of work to overcome this kind of censorship. We've got to get our message out to the voters across this state. And so if your viewers want to help us, they can go to JamesTalarico.com."
The full monologue and interview with Talarico are available on MS NOW's YouTube account, providing further context to this unfolding media and political drama.
