FCC Chair on Colbert's Trump Bash: Will Apply Obscenity Law if Needed
Stephen Colbert has come under fire and backlash following his Monday night monologue on his show “Late Night with Stephen Colbert,” where he made what some have described as homophobic slurs directed toward President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
However, Colbert would do it again, adding “he would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be,” the late night host said during his monologue Wednesday night.
As for whether Colbert will face some type of repercussion for his comments, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said during an interview with Neil Cavuto on the FOX Business Network, that if the agency receives complaints, it “will take a look at the facts that are alleged and apply the law.”
Pai noted that he has yet to actually view the clip that has since gone viral, and prompted the #firecolbert on Twitter, but reaffirmed the agency's commitment to take complaints seriously, and “evaluate the facts and make the appropriate decision.”
The oral-sex joke was in response to CBS colleague John Dickerson of ‘Face the Nation,’ who saw his interview with President Trump was cut short after repeatedly pressing the president on his wiretapping claims.
"Now, if you saw my monologue Monday, you know that I was a little upset at Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine," said Colbert.
As far as regulating the airwaves, “the framework that we apply is traditionally a certain indecency rules that apply before 10 P.M., and then again obscene language is what we regulate after 10 P.M.,” Pai said.