Jasmine Crockett Complains About ‘Debacle’ With CBS, Says Stephen Colbert Still Has Not Invited Her on His Show

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett says CBS’s Stephen Colbert still has not invited her on “The Late Show,” days after he claimed the network prevented him from airing his interview with the Texas congresswoman’s opponent for the Democratic nomination for Senate, James Talarico.Mr. Colbert declined to invite Ms. Crockett — who has been on “The Late Show” multiple times — on the show Monday when he interviewed Mr. Talarico. The exclusion led CBS’s lawyers to warn Mr. Colbert that if the interview aired, it might trigger the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule, which requires that broadcast networks provide the same amount of time to legally filed candidates. Mr. Colbert chose not to invite Ms. Crockett and posted pre-taped interview with Mr. Talarico on YouTube, then claimed that CBS forced him to do so. Mr. Talarico aggressively pushed the claim that his interview was censored by the FCC, and raised at least $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the interview aired, a large amount for a Senate primary.Stephen Colbert interviews Texas Democrat James Talarico in a segment that did not air on ‘The Late Show’ but was posted on the show’s YouTube channel. CBSOn Friday morning, Ms. Crockett told MS NOW that she has not received an invite from “The Late Show.”“I’ve not been invited on Colbert prior to his interview nor post his interview,” she said. “Obviously, I’ve done Colbert twice in the past. And so there were questions that people had about whether or not basically equal time, so to speak, had been offered to me in order to try to avoid Brendan Carr and his misinterpretation or his reinterpretation of the rules.”Stephen Colbert defiantly shows a photo of a model who looks similar to liberal Texas Democrat James Talarico as he denounces CBS. Paramount GlobalMs. Crockett added, “The only information that I got was after this debacle took place, I did receive a phone call from the parent company, from a representative for the parent company that basically said they did not tell them they couldn’t air it. They just said, if you air it, just make sure that you offer the representative equal time. Now, obviously, I wasn’t engaged in that conversation, so I cannot confirm the veracity of any statements. But I can confirm that I had never been asked to go on as it relates to kind of talking about the Senate race.”Mr. Colbert, a devoted foe of conservatives and President Trump, has interviewed several prominent Democrats (and no Republicans) on his show since the start of the year without issue. However, Mr. Talarico – who’s become a darling of New York media – was the first Democrat to appear on the show as a legally filed candidate in an active race, which seems to have prompted concerns from CBS that the interview might violate the equal time rule. On Wednesday, Mr. Colbert interviewed Senator Jon Ossoff, considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats in 2026, without issue. By the time of the interview, Mr. Ossoff had signaled his intention to seek re-election, but the window to formally file the necessary paperwork has not yet opened in Georgia.Stephen Colbert is seen mocking President Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr. CBSThe Talarico interview and fundraising haul came at a critical time for Mr. Talarico, significantly boosting his name recognition and cash reserves two weeks before the March 3 primary. The winner of the primary will face a yet to be decided Republican, as four-term incumbent John Cornyn is facing a strong primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Should Mr. Paxton win the primary, polls show that the Democratic nominee would have a chance at winning the general election in what’s usually a reliably red state.Axios reported in December that moderate Democrats have expressed concerns that if Ms. Crockett — a far-left, two-term black congresswoman who became a favorite of national liberal media last year over her barbed criticisms of Republicans and the Trump Administration — won the primary, she might drag down other Democratic candidates in Texas. Jasmine Crockett in a past ‘Late Show’ appearance. CBSEarlier public polling showed Ms. Crockett leading in the primary race. Last month, her campaign released internal polling that showed her with a double-digit lead. However, RealClearPolitics’s average of polls shows that the race is now tied. Ms. Crockett, who has avoided using sharp language to criticize Mr. Colbert, told MS NOW earlier this week that “The Late Show” interview and outrage around the claim that it was blocked by the FCC gave Mr. Talarico, who is white, the “boost he was looking for.”CBS did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Jasmine Crockett Complains About ‘Debacle’ With CBS, Says Stephen Colbert Still Has Not Invited Her on His Show

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