NBC has submitted a notice to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) indicating that they will grant former President Donald Trump equal time following Vice President Kamala Harris’s brief appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Harris made a cameo on the sketch comedy show hosted by John Mulaney, where she advised a mirror to comedian Maya Rudolph, who portrayed her leading up to the election. After her short appearance, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr took to X (formerly Twitter) to label it a clear and blatant effort to bypass the FCC’s Equal Time rule. Carr, who was appointed by Trump and is a senior Republican on the commission, suggested in his post that NBC should also provide equal airtime for other qualifying campaigns.
In their notice filed on Sunday, NBC stated that Harris appeared for 1 minute and 30 seconds without charge on SNL. According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, NBC subsequently offered Trump airtime during the NASCAR 2024 Cup playoff race, allowing him an opportunity to speak directly to viewers.
On Sunday, Carr appeared on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, hosted by Laura Ingraham, where he emphasized that all options should be considered by the FCC. He noted that they need to respond if this situation is indeed as clear a violation as it seems and stressed the importance of sending a message to discourage similar actions in the future—regardless of whether they benefit Republicans or Democrats.
What does the equal time rule established by the FCC entail?
This regulation mandates that radio and television stations in the United States offer equal opportunities to rival political candidates. However, this rule does not extend to cable networks or various video platforms, such as podcasts and social media. For instance, if Donald Trump were to seek equal airtime from NBC following Kamala Harris’s guest spot on SNL, the network would be obligated to fulfill that request prior to Election Day on Tuesday.