The FCC's equal time rule, a relic from broadcast television's early days, is being weaponized against late-night comedy in ways that should alarm anyone who cares about free speech. And it's happening quietly enough that most people haven't noticed.
A Bloomberg Opinion piece lays out the mechanics: the equal time rule, originally designed to ensure political candidates get fair access to broadcast airwaves, is now being applied to late-night comedy shows that mock politicians. The result? Shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Daily Show are facing pressure to either tone down political content or offer "equal time" to the subjects of their jokes.
Let's be clear about what this means in practice. If Stephen Colbert spends 10 minutes mocking a presidential candidate's latest gaffe, the FCC could theoretically require CBS to offer that candidate 10 minutes of airtime to respond. Not during a commercial break. During the actual show.
The rule made sense in 1960 when there were three networks and presidential candidates needed guaranteed access to reach voters. It makes less sense in 2026 when politicians have Twitter, Truth Social, and unlimited media appearances. And it makes no sense when applied to satirical comedy.
Comedy isn't neutral. It's not supposed to be. Johnny Carson made jokes about politicians. David Letterman eviscerated them. Jon Stewart built a career on it. The idea that political satire should be subject to equal time requirements fundamentally misunderstands what comedy is.
Civil libertarians and First Amendment advocates are quietly freaking out, according to Bloomberg. They should be. Using a regulatory rule to chill political speech—because that's what this is, chilling—sets a dangerous precedent. Today it's late-night hosts. Tomorrow it's podcasts. Next week it's anyone with a platform and an opinion.
The networks are stuck. Push back too hard and they invite more regulatory scrutiny. Comply and they gut what makes their shows work. Late-night comedy thrives on being provocative, irreverent, and politically pointed. Strip that away and you're left with celebrity interviews and viral video clips.
There's also a practical problem: how do you calculate "equal time" for satire? If Colbert does a bit where he impersonates a senator, does the senator get to impersonate Colbert back? If Saturday Night Live does a sketch about a political scandal, does the FCC require them to air a rebuttal sketch written by the scandal's subject?
This is what happens when bureaucratic rules written for a different media era collide with modern political sensitivities. The equal time rule exists. It's being enforced. And late-night comedy is paying the price.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything—except that comedy works best when it's allowed to be unfair, unbalanced, and unapologetically biased. The FCC disagrees. We'll see who wins.
