TX-SEN: James Talarico Raised $2.5 Million After Stephen Colbert Interview Was Shifted From Broadcast To YouTube

[RandySF]

The attention surrounding James Talarico‘s Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview has been very good for the Texas Democrat’s campaign for U.S. Senate.

He raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the segment was shifted from CBS broadcast to YouTube, his largest single fundraising period for the campaign.

On Monday, Colbert said that he was prohibited from featuring Talarico on his late-night show, as the FCC has issued new guidance about the appearance of political candidates on talk shows.

Instead, Colbert said that the interview would be posted on YouTube. There, the interview has drawn almost 5.2 million views, greatly exceeding the show’s average broadcast audience.



https://deadline.com/2026/02/james-talarico-stephen-colbert-fundraising-record-1236728151/

[Scrivener7]

1. I'm glad I'm not a Texan. That primary will be tough.

[calguy]

2. I t wouldn't be a hard choice for me

Any Democrat would have a steep uphill battle in a statewide Senate race. Talarico, as far as I’ve seen, has the best chance by far to flip that seat blue. Crockett is a fine representative in the House, but at this point I don’t see her as Senate material. Her major shortcomings are definitely not her fault. She’s black, and she’s female. Running in a racist, conservative statelike Texas, that just isn’t going to fly. It’s not fair by any means, but it’s the reality we live with in these times.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. MaddowBlog-'Their plan backfired': Colbert's James Talarico interview generates large online audience

Far more people watched the interview on YouTube than probably would have seen it if it had aired on CBS without controversy

Link to tweet

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/their-plan-backfired-colberts-james-talarico-interview-generates-large-online-audience

On Tuesday afternoon, as public interest in the story grew, CBS issued a written statement insisting that Colbert was not prohibited from airing the Talarico interview. Rather, the network said the CBS lawyers “provided legal guidance,” which included “options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.”

Soon after, while the host filmed Tuesday night’s show, Colbert referred to CBS’ statement as “crap” and picked up a copy of the statement in a dog waste bag. “I’m just so surprised that this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies,” he added.

The host received some backup from Anna Gomez, a Democratic member of the FCC, who said in a statement, “This is yet another troubling example of corporate capitulation in the face of this Administration’s broader campaign to censor and control speech. The FCC has no lawful authority to pressure broadcasters for political purposes or to create a climate that chills free expression.”

Gomez added, “CBS is fully protected under the First Amendment to determine what interviews it airs, which makes its decision to yield to political pressure all the more disappointing.”

But as the developments unfolded, a related question needed an answer: Would all of this lead more people to take an interest in the interview that wasn’t included in the broadcast? The New Republic summarized:

Instead of including the interview in his CBS show Monday night, which the network’s lawyers had warned against, Colbert posted the interview to YouTube and other social media channels, where it has already garnered millions of views on each platform, much more than a single TV broadcast of the show, which averages 2.3 million viewers.

As of this writing, the YouTube video of the interview has generated more than 5.2 million views.

What’s more, the hullabaloo appears to have given Talarico a boost just two weeks before primary day in Texas. The Democrat raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the segment was posted online — the single best day of fundraising for his candidacy thus far.