February 18, 2026
Dog bag diplomacy, comment chaos
Stephen Colbert going down swinging
CBS pulls plug; Colbert bags their statement as fans yell ‘censorship’ and others say ‘just the law’
TLDR: CBS blocked Colbert’s interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, and Colbert mocked their surprise statement with a dog waste bag. Comments split between “censorship” outrage and “it’s just the equal-time law,” with many laughing at the Streisand effect as the moment got even more attention.
Stephen Colbert didn’t just clap back — he bagged CBS’s surprise press release like dog waste on live TV after the network refused to air his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico. He joked “my group chat blowed up,” and the internet obliged, turning the paper-in-a-poop-bag moment into instant meme fuel.
The comments lit up with big feelings. One camp saw straight-up censorship, with poszlem fuming that “what this administration has been doing is disgusting and as un-American as it can be.” Another crowd rolled their eyes at the outrage, arguing CBS was just playing by the rules: coredog64 deadpanned, “Oh no! The Federal government is enforcing long-standing statutes,” pointing to the broadcast “equal-time” rule — if you give airtime to one political candidate, you must offer the same opportunity to their opponent. That’s why networks get twitchy during campaign season.
And then came the irony police: jmclnx declared this the Streisand effect in full swing, claiming YouTube views exploded because the segment got yanked. Even non-fans chimed in with grudging respect: “Not a huge fan of Colbert but respect and agree.” Fans dropped receipts, including an archive link and the law itself. Drama + dog bag = ratings.
Key Points
- •CBS declined to air Stephen Colbert’s interview with Democratic Texas state representative James Talarico.
- •Colbert addressed the decision on Tuesday’s “The Late Show,” following attention from Monday’s episode.
- •CBS issued a press statement on Tuesday about the unaired interview, which Colbert read on air.
- •Colbert joked the statement was written for lawyers and placed it in a dog waste bag as part of his bit.
- •The New York Times Late Night Roundup summarized Colbert’s reaction and the surrounding context.