"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert criticized CBS on Monday night, saying the network blocked his interview with U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico from airing.

Colbert said that he was surprised by a network statement that denied Colbert had been told he couldn't air an interview with a Texas Senate candidate for fear of triggering a little-known “equal time” rule by the FCC.

A recent FCC inquiry to ABC about a possible “equal time” rule violation at “The View” raised concerns at CBS that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” could be targeted next, according to people familiar with CBS’s deliberations.

The "Last Word" host excoriated CBS for caving to pressure from the FCC and spiking Stephen Colbert's interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D).

MS NOW host Lawrence O’Donnell has torn into CBS for the network’s alleged refusal to air an interview with a rising young Democrat. The uproar began after Stephen Colbert revealed to his studio audience that the MAGA-curious network had decided to pull Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s interview on The Late Show,

CBS said it did not force “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” to pull an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico from its TV broadcast Monday, contrary to the way the late-night host had framed it.

MS NOW panelists on "Deadline: White House" were shocked by CBS calling Stephen Colbert a liar amid the FCC-James Talarico dust up. On Tuesday, "The Late Show" host revealed he wanted to have Talarico -- a Texas representative -- on the show until CBS' lawyers called him and said that wasn't happening and that he also couldn't tell his audience why.

CBS has fired back at Stephen Colbert, claiming it did not keep his show from airing an interview with Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico. The statement comes more than 13 hours after Colbert slammed his own network’s MAGA-coded executives for supposedly telling him that his interview with Talarico could not air due to new guidance from the FCC on its equal time rule.