So Much For Being Censored: Colbert And Ossoff Campaign Ahead Of Midterms

Alex Christy
February 19th, 2026 9:40 AM

Text to Speech

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Those trying to turn CBS’s Stephen Colbert into a free speech martyr for the James Talarico-equal time controversy suffered a setback on Wednesday as Colbert welcomed Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff to The Late Show. Unfortunately, those who would like the late night hosts at least pretend to put in an effort to have some sort of balance on their shows also suffered a setback as the duo warned of impending doom if Democrats don’t win in November.

Colbert opened up the floor to Ossoff to discuss his path to politics, “There are people in the United States who believe that rules are to constrain other people. Laws are to constrain other people but never applied to them, and deep down I think on both sides of the aisle people have felt that for so many years, and you crystallized it with that phrase, and that leads me to the last job that you did before you were a senator. You investigated international corruption?”

 

 

After Ossoff affirmed he did, Colbert continued, “Is that true? What was it about witnessing corruption on a global scale that said to you, "I should get involved in American politics?"”

Ossoff, who is up for re-election in November but who does not yet meet the legal definition of a candidate for equal time purposes, replied by warning, “So, first of all, I led a team, ran a business that exposed official corruption, war crimes, abuses of power all over the world, and we worked with people who smuggled the truth out of repressive societies with authoritarian governments, places where opposition figures were rounded up and arrested. Places where journalists critical of the government faced official persecution, places where television hosts had to deal with official censorship.”

After pausing for the audience to hoot and holler and Colbert to pretend to take notes, Ossoff continued, “And I'll just say that more and more Donald Trump's America reminds me of those places and those societies, and that should chill us all to the bone.”

Ossoff also alleged, “Donald Trump himself is a symptom of a deeper disease in our society. I mean, how is it that a demagogue who promised to tear it all down was twice elected to the presidency on false promises? And it's because the system really is rigged. He's not unrigging it, he's re-rigging it for himself, but especially since the Citizens United decision, which was such a deeply destructive court decision.”

Later, in the second segment, Colbert sought more biographical information, “One of your mentors is a man I greatly admire, and that was John Lewis…I’m just curious, how old were you when you met?”

 

 

After recalling meeting Lewis when he was 16, Ossoff added, “But I'll tell you what. He would have very high expectations of all of us at this moment in our country's history.”

Colbert then wondered, “What do you think he would say to us?”

Ossoff then did his most explicit campaigning yet, “I know, to fear that maybe we could lose our republic. And I think that what Congressman Lewis would tell us is that it's up to us. We have the power to right the ship. No one’s going to do it for us. Theirs was the most successful nonviolent mass mobilization in American history, arguably in world history. The Civil Rights Movement. They dealt with an awful lot. We can deal with this, but I'm telling you these midterm elections are the whole ball game. There is a lot riding on what happens in November.”

It’s ironic that Ossoff lamented that television hosts face official censorship while conducting an interview on television with that host. If Colbert and Ossoff want to know why all their warnings of impending authoritarianism fall flat, that would be a good place to start looking.

Here is a transcript for the February 18-taped show:

CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2/19/2026

12:08 AM ET

STEPHEN COLBERT: Because what we're finding out from the Epstein files is that that type of corruption, while Trump might be a peak avatar of that, it crosses political boundaries. There are people in the United States who believe that rules are to constrain other people. Laws are to constrain other people but never applied to them, and deep down I think on both sides of the aisle people have felt that for so many years, and you crystallized it with that phrase, and that leads me to the last job that you did before you were a senator. You investigated international corruption?

JON OSSOFF: That's right.

COLBERT: Is that true? What was it about witnessing corruption on a global scale that said to you, "I should get involved in American politics?"

OSSOFF: So, first of all, I led a team, ran a business that exposed official corruption, war crimes, abuses of power all over the world, and we worked with people who smuggled the truth out of repressive societies with authoritarian governments, places where opposition figures were rounded up and arrested. Places where journalists critical of the government faced official persecution, places where television hosts had to deal with official censorship. And I'll just say that more and more Donald Trump's America reminds me of those places and those societies, and that should chill us all to the bone.

But as for why, I think Donald Trump's rise, Donald Trump himself is a symptom of a deeper disease in our society. I mean, how is it that a demagogue who promised to tear it all down was twice elected to the presidency on false promises? And it's because the system really is rigged. He's not unrigging it, he's re-rigging it for himself, but especially since the Citizens United decision, which was such a deeply destructive court decision.

…

COLBERT: One of your mentors is a man I greatly admire, and that was John Lewis, and matter of fact the last time I talked to John Lewis he was here. He actually surfed the crowd. Yeah. It was fun. It was fun. And here you are with John Lewis. I’m just curious, how old were you when you met?

OSSOFF: I was 16 when I met Congressman Lewis and I had read his memoir Walking with the Wind. You know, growing up in Georgia, you're steeped in civil rights history and, of course, he was a legend. He was my congressman. I read his autobiography. I wrote him a letter asking if I could meet him. That meeting led to a job, that job led to a lifelong friendship, and I never would've pursued office without his encouragement and support. But I'll tell you what. He would have very high expectations of all of us at this moment in our country's history.

COLBERT: What do you think he would say to us?

OSSOFF: I think you know and we all know there are some folks who are, sort of, doomscrolling in the fetal position, every day there's a new outrage. And it's easy, I know, to fear that maybe we could lose our republic. And I think that what Congressman Lewis would tell us is that it's up to us. We have the power to right the ship. No one’s going to do it for us. Theirs was the most successful nonviolent mass mobilization in American history, arguably in world history. The Civil Rights Movement. They dealt with an awful lot. We can deal with this, but I'm telling you these midterm elections are the whole ball game. There is a lot riding on what happens in November.

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