NBC files Equal Time notice for Harris’ SNL cameo following backlash

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

“Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president in the 2024 national election, appeared without charge on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) for a total period of 1 minute and 30 seconds on November 2, 2024,” the notice reads.

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

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The notice comes after commissioner Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the FCC, lambasted NBC’s decision to host Harris in the final episode of SNL ahead of Election Day, while not offering equal time to former President Trump or other candidates in the presidential cycle. 

“This has all the appearances of, at least some leadership at NBC, at SNL, making clear that they wanted to weigh-in in favor of one candidate before the election. That’s exactly why, for decades, we’ve had an equal time rule on the book, is to prevent that. Because remember, broadcasters are placed in a special position of trust. They’re not just like any other person with a soapbox on the corner. They have a license from the federal government that obligates them to operate in the public interest,” FCC commissioner Carr told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview Sunday morning. 

The NBC 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 timeframe Trump and others have in this case to take the network up on its offer.

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In normal Equal Time cases, “it would usually open up a seven-day period when all other qualified candidates can seek Equal Time from NBC-meaning comparable time on a comparable program. Here, opposing candidates don’t have seven days,” Carr said.

The FCC commissioner weighed in on X this weekend that the broadcasting company had violated the FCC’s equal time rule by hosting the Democratic presidential nominee, but not Trump or other presidential candidates such as Jill Stein or even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who is still on election 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 broadcast stations to provide the same amount of time for competing political candidates. There are exceptions to the rule such as newscasts, documentaries and political debates.

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

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 02: Maya Rudolph and Democratic Presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris appear on NBC’s Saturday Night Live November 2, 2024 in New York City.  (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

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

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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.