CBS Lawyers Put 'No Talarico' Clause in Late Show Script, Chaos Ensues

KEY POINTS

•Stephen Colbert planned to interview Texas Democratic Rep. James Talarico on his Monday show.
•CBS network lawyers directly told Colbert's team they could not feature Talarico on the broadcast.
•This restriction came just hours after news broke that Anderson Cooper is leaving his 60 Minutes role at CBS.

On a Monday night so jam-packed with surprise, CBS network lawyers blocked Stephen Colbert from hosting Texas Democratic Rep. James Talarico, citing 'no uncertain terms.' This legal mic-drop forced Colbert to redirect his star-studded interview to YouTube hours after Anderson Cooper decided to peace out from 60 Minutes at CBS. In possibly the most indirect 'you can't sit with us' moment on late-night TV, Colbert announced the gavel drop with humor sharper than a Texas BBQ knife but sadly without the Democrat. With 'The Late Show' juggling network lawyers, political guests, and prominent correspondent exits, CBS's Monday turned out to be a veritable reality show where lawyers are the unsung puppeteers.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

CBS lawyers just played 'Not It!' with a Texas congressman and left Colbert to YouTube like some kind of backup plan. Meanwhile Anderson Cooper files out the door like it’s an episode of Survivor.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Blocking a sitting Democrat on a comedy talk show is definitely the new bipartisan way to say 'hello.' Must be a marketers’ dream for Twitter trending topics!

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Nothing says 'top-tier journalism' like legal gatekeepers throwing shade while your star correspondent casually walks away. Tune in next week for the soap opera season finale.

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