NBC Hit with FCC Complaint Over Vice President Harris’ SNL Appearance
AP Photo
Chicago, IL — The Center for American Rights (CAR) has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against WNBC, NBC’s flagship station, alleging a willful violation of the equal time rule.
The complaint comes after Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) on November 2, just days before the presidential election.
“Broadcasters cannot abuse their licenses by airing what amounts to a free commercial promoting one candidate the weekend before the presidential election. That’s not news; it’s election interference, and it’s illegal,” said Daniel Suhr, President of the Center for American Rights. “With this complaint, we are demanding that the FCC enforce long-standing federal law by fining NBC for its willful violation of these basic principles of broadcasting.”
The complaint emphasizes that NBC’s decision to feature Harris in a sympathetic comedy sketch constitutes a clear breach of the equal time rule—a position shared by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. NBC’s decision to later broadcast two Trump ads for free is too little, too late, according to the complaint—it fails the FCC’s standard for a “comparable” appearance and does not comply with the procedural protections in law to prevent last-minute election interference.
CAR is seeking a significant fine against NBC to deter future violations. The complaint points out that SNL’s executive producer, Lorne Michaels, publicly acknowledged the equal time rule applies to the show but chose to disregard it. This willful misconduct makes the violation especially egregious and deserving of severe penalties.
The Center for American Rights has been at the forefront of defending election integrity and media accountability. This latest complaint follows recent actions against ABC News and CBS News for biased coverage favoring Vice President Harris.
The FCC complaint can be found here.
About the Center for American Rights
A non-profit, non-partisan public interest law firm, the Chicago-based Center for American Rights is led by attorneys Patrick Hughes and Daniel Suhr, renowned for their leading roles in landmark cases like Janus v. AFSCME and BST Holdings, LLC v. OSHA. Its mission is to protect Americans’ most fundamental constitutional rights, with a particular focus on free speech, limited government, election integrity, and educational freedom for families.
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact media@americanrights.org.