article

Maya Rudolph and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris appear on NBC’s Saturday Night Live Nov. 2, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

NBC News filed an Equal Time notice with the Federal Communications Commission late Sunday, kamala harris reveal appearance on “Saturday Night Live” after the network was accused of violating the longstanding rule.

“Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 national election, appeared on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) for a total of 1 minute and 30 seconds on November 2, 2024,” reads the announcement.

Under normal circumstances, the filing would allow all other qualified candidates running against Harris to seek equal airtime from NBC for up to one week. NBC should grant it under federal law.

The notice comes after FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the senior Republican, criticized NBC’s decision to host Harris in the final episode of SNL before Election Day without giving equal time to former President Trump or other candidates in the presidential cycle.

“This has all the appearances, at least some management at NBC, at SNL, making it clear that they wanted to weigh in favor of one candidate before the election. That is precisely why, for decades, we have had equal time. the rule is to prevent that, because remember, broadcasters are placed in a special position of trust to operate in the public interest,” FCC Commissioner Carr told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview Sunday morning.

NBC’s filing later Sunday confirms that the network “views the Harris SNL appearance as a free use of their facilities and airwaves within the meaning of the federal equal time rule,” Carr told Fox News Digital later Sunday, highlighting the limited period of time Trump and others. must in this case accept the network at its offer.

HARRIS’ COLD OPEN SEEMS TO COPY TRUMP 2015 WITH JIMMY FALLON SKETCH

In normal Equal Time cases, it would “typically open a seven-day period when all other qualified applicants can seek Equal Time from NBC, i.e., comparable time on a comparable schedule. Here, opposing candidates do not have seven days,” Carr. said.

The FCC commissioner found X this weekend that the broadcaster violated the FCC’s equal time rule by hosting the Democratic presidential candidate, but not Trump or other presidential candidates like Jill Stein or even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who is still on ballots after dropping out of the race earlier this year and endorsing Trump.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Equal Time Rule was established in 1934 and requires radio and television stations to offer the same amount of time to competing political candidates. There are exceptions to the rule, such as news bulletins, documentaries and political debates.

Senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller told Fox News Channel earlier this weekend that SNL did not extend an invitation to Trump. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung criticized Harris’ appearance as a sign of desperation to woo voters as her “campaign heads for the drain into obscurity.”

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s running mate in her failed 2016 presidential run, also appeared in a skit Saturday as a game show contestant who couldn’t remember who Kaine was.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

NBC also filed an Equal Time notice for Kaine’s appearance, Carr told Fox News Digital. Kaine is running for re-election in Virginia against Republican challenger Hung Cao.

NBC News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report. Read more about this story at FOX News.