Texas Democrat Raises $2.5 Million After Viral Colbert Video [View all]
Texas state Representative James Talaricos appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has racked up more than 5 million YouTube views in the day since it was posted amid allegations of censorship, earning the Democrat a burst of national attention as he runs for the US Senate.
Talarico also raised $2.5 million following the clips release, his largest single-day haul, his campaign said in a statement Wednesday. The infusion came as early voting began in the Texas primary, in which Talarico is locked in a tight race with US Representative Jasmine Crockett to be the Democratic standard bearer in November.
Colbert, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, said CBS lawyers barred him from airing his interview with Talarico over concerns the appearance would violate federal fairness rules. The network disputed Colberts account, saying it had only advised that Talaricos appearance may require the show to provide equal time to the other candidates.
If the intent was to suppress the video, the effort backfired. In addition to the attention on YouTube, Talaricos campaign said the clip has been viewed more than 40 million times across the candidates social media accounts.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-18/colbert-clip-of-texas-talarico-racks-up-5-million-hits?srnd=homepage-americas