Colbert’s definitive gesture against censorship
Stephen Colbert is not one to keep quiet. Less when its own network, CBS, tries to open doors to the field. This week, The Late Show host took his dispute with executives to a new level, and it was pure theater.
It all started when management told him he couldn’t air an interview with James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate for Texas. The official excuse was an archaic rule about “equal time” for rival candidates.
“We searched and could not find a single example of this rule being applied to a talk show interview, not only in my entire career…but since the 1960s,”
Colbert said, with that mixture of disbelief and sarcasm that defines him.
But the best came later. CBS issued a statement denying that its lawyers had given that order. Colbert’s response? He took the paper, wrapped it in a dog poop bag and threw it in the trash on the spot.
It’s the kind of moment that sums up our era: when hollow corporate statements deserve that literal treatment. Colbert showed the interview on YouTube, of course. Because if traditional TV becomes rigid, the Internet always has a back door.
The absurd thing is that we are in 2026 discussing rules from the 60s. Meanwhile, a presenter has to resort to the most basic—and effective—symbolism to say: “this is nonsense.”
The fight continues. And Colbert just proved that sometimes the best argument fits in a poop bag.
