FCC to review Stephen Colbert's Trump-Putin joke

“The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert came under fire last week after he lobbed several controversial insults at President Donald Trump and used a sexual reference while describing Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The hashtag #FireColbert quickly spread across the internet, and in a follow-up monologue, Colbert doubled down on his comments.

While it didn't seem like there would be any actual backlash, the Federal Communications Commission has announced that it is looking into Colbert's statements to see if any rules were brokenAccording to The Hill, the FCC said it will "take the appropriate action" if any of the remarks were "obscene." The group reportedly received a significant number of complaints against Colbert, whose show airs on CBS.

Since Colbert's show airs after 10 p.m., his show is judged a little less harshly than those airing during the day when most children are in front of television sets. However, it’s unlikely that critics will achieve their goal of getting Colbert off the air as the FCC generally only levies a fine on programs that break their rules. And for left-leaning Stephen Colbert, it’s unlikely that a fine will be much of a deterrent for future attacks on Trump.

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