Late Night Legal Limbo: Why Colbert Couldn't Chat with Talarico

There's a bit of a mix-up happening between Stephen Colbert and CBS. It all started when Colbert wanted to have Texas state representative James Talarico on his show, "The Late Show." But things didn't go as planned.

CBS says they didn't stop Colbert from having Talarico on the show. Instead, they gave him some legal advice. They said that if they aired the interview, they might have to give equal time to other candidates, like Jasmine Crockett. Colbert had other plans, though. He decided to put the interview on YouTube instead.

But Colbert told his audience a different story. He said that CBS's lawyers told him he couldn't have Talarico on the show at all. He even joked about it on the air, saying that he couldn't even talk about not having Talarico on the show.

This all ties back to some rules set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They have guidelines to make sure all candidates get equal airtime. Talarico is running for Texas Senate, and he's in a primary race with Crockett and Ahmad Hassan.

So, why the confusion? It seems like there's a bit of a communication breakdown between Colbert and CBS. But one thing's for sure: the interview did air, just not on the show. It's now up on YouTube for everyone to see.