Late Night television was waning in relevance, until it became protest.
Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert continue to dodge Republican Party threats, utilising their platforms to quip about the worsening state of America.
Most recently, Colbert has made headlines after CBS refused to air his interview with James Talarico, who stands as a front-runner for the Texas midterms.
For some context, Texas hosts its midterm elections for senate on March 3rd. Early voting just opened, and with it, a slew of censorship and threats.
Democrat candidate James Talarico believes in the freedom of education, the working-class Texan, and refutes the dogged beliefs of Christian nationalists. He is currently the Republican party’s greatest threat, and apparently, CBS’s too.
Last Monday, Colbert announced on air that CBS had blocked his interview with Talarico. Citing recent crackdowns from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) which demand broadcasters to only air “patriotic, pro-American” content, CBS’s lawyers called Colbert directly to deny the interview.
The FCC demands that broadcasters should “inspire citizens by highlighting the historic achievements… of the Trump Administration today” – a challenge Colbert was more than happy to take on.
Bypassing broadcast restriction, Colbert instead took his interview with Talarico to Youtube. In the face of censorship, the interview has now garnered over 8.7 Million views in 5 days, and generated Talarico an additional $2.5 Million in fundraising within the first 24 hours.
Colbert’s bravery grows as his May 2026 forced closure looms, a cancellation which shocked many back in July 2025. The network insisted the decision was purely financial, however, CBS’s parent company Paramount Global was mid-merger with Skydance.
The merger approval lay with FCC, who approved just 1 week after Colbert’s announced cancellation. Totally normal and not at all suspicious timing, right?
“Corporate media executives are selling out the first amendment to curry favour with corrupt politicians,” said Talarico in the suppressed interview, met with enthusiastic applause from the in-house audience.
Jimmy Kimmel was most recently pulled from the air in September 2025 for making jabs at far-right politician Charlie Kirk following his murder, and Seth Meyers continuing to make Trump jabs.
The ongoing battle between host and network haunts late-night, a tussle that used to feel funny when it was just Conan O’Brien vying for a slot before midnight, but has now become a political playing field.
