The View is currently under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after the talk show’s interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.
The show is under the lens for possibly violating equal time rules for interviews with political candidates.
FCC Launching Investigation
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the agency is exploring “an enforcement action” against The View for its possible violation of the equal time rule. This requires broadcasters to give the same amount of airtime to political candidates if requested.
The show has been under investigation since Talarico’s guest appearance on February 2nd.
Carr spoke about the investigation during an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, stating, “Disney has a program called The View. And they’ve been asserting the position that The View is what is known as ‘bona fide news’ in the statute. If you are bona fide news, you don’t have to give candidates equal air time.”
He added, “But Disney and The View have not established that that program is, in fact, bona fide news. We’ve started enforcement proceedings, taking a look at that.”
Carr finished his statement by saying, “And, again, we’re going to hold broadcasters accountable. The days that these legacy media broadcasters get to decide what we can say, what we can think, who we can vote for are over. I think President Trump played a key role in just smashing the facade that they still get to decide the narrative here.”
Carr originally called for an investigation in September, but could not go forward with it until now. It’s important to note that the FCC’s enforcement options are limited and will likely result in a fine for the network.
The Republican-led FCC stated last month that daytime and late-night TV talk shows no longer fall under “bona fide” news programs that are exempt from equal time rules.
President Trump has repeatedly pushed for action against U.S. broadcasters, criticizing them for what he sees as one-sided coverage.
The View Guests
The View regularly welcomes public figures and political candidates onto its show to discuss perspectives on current events.
On Monday, the show featured Democratic Texas State Representative James Talarico, who is running for his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate in a state where no Democrat has won since 1994.
In January, The View had Representative Jasmine Crockett on the show, who is a Texas Democrat and is running for the same spot.
During Talarico’s interview on the show, he said, “We’re on the same team, Jasmine and I. We’re trying to change the politics of our state and take back this country.”
Colbert’s Failed Interview
The investigation announcement comes after Stephen Colbert recently claimed he was blocked from airing his interview with Talarico on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Instead, Colbert published the interview online, telling viewers the network cited the equal time rule and that he “could not have” the Democratic candidate on the show. However, the network denied Colbert’s accusation, saying they only advised the episode would draw scrutiny to the equal time rule.
Carr responded to Colbert’s statement, telling reporters, “Yesterday was an encapsulation of why the American people have more trust in gas station sushi than they do the national news media. And this was very plainly an effort to get clicks and raise money. And you guys ate it up.”
Colbert likewise shared his opinion about Paramount+ complying with the FCC, stating he was “so surprised that this giant, global corporation would not stand up to these bullies.”