Turns out the “Colbert bump” is still there. On Tuesday, James Talarico won the Democratic primary for the Texas Senate seat, defeating Jasmine Crockett in a controversial race that attracted national attention.
You may recall that Talarico was at the center of a political storm last month, following his interview with Stephen Colbert on his show. Late Show He was barred by CBS lawyers from airing due to new FCC guidelines for political candidates on talk shows. In an unusual move, Colbert devoted an entire portion of his show to the issue, raising not only concerns about FCC overreach but also boosting Talarico’s image through the association.
The fallout from the Talarico case has become a matter of days on the Internet Late show Elsewhere, Colbert was discussing his disagreements with lawyers and CBS management. In a remarkable television segment, a clearly angry Colbert revealed his tensions with his employers, saying: “I’m not even crazy. I really don’t want an adversarial relationship with the network.”
Adding more spice to the controversy, and raising Tallarico’s name recognition once again, were Colbert’s ongoing issues with CBS, with the network canceling his long-running Late Show, and his standoff with the Federal Communications Commission, which has become more active in the second Trump administration and appears to be targeting soft liberal media strongholds including Colbert’s show. Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The view.
Despite being banned from broadcasting Talarico on the air, Colbert put the nearly entire 15-minute interview on the channel Late showYouTube channel. In a classic case of the Streisand effect, Tallarico’s interview has racked up a whopping 9 million views and counting since February 17.
The Colbert kerfufulle was also a big boost to Talarico’s campaign, as the Texas pol revealed he raised more than $2.5 million in the 24 hours following the appearance. He has also become a cause célèbre in the liberal media, with a series of appearances on cable news channels — including a highlight segment on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MS NOW program that has garnered more than a million views on YouTube — and a host of podcasts since 2008. Late show spot.
THR Newsletters
Sign up to get THR news straight to your inbox every day
Subscribe subscription
