​Why NBC Is Giving Donald Trump's Rivals Their 15 Minutes of Fame

Well, 12 minutes and five seconds to be exact.

In accordance with Federal Communications Commission rules that require political candidates to have the same amount of air time, NBC stations have begun filing legal notice about Donald Trump's broadcast time on Saturday Night Live.

"Donald Trump, a candidate for the Republication nomination for President in the 2016 national election, appeared without charge on NBC's Saturday Night Live...commencing at 11:39:11 PM ET on Nov. 7 and ending at 1:01:01AM ET on Nov. 8, 2015," a notice filed by NBC's New York affiliate, WNBC TV read, Variety reports.

SNL: The best and worst of Donald Trump's episode

Now, rival candidates have a seven-day window in which to request equal time - but must first prove that they're legitimate candidates within the state where SNL was broadcast, which is of course New York.

NBC doesn't necessarily have to give them time on SNL, and, judging by Trump's turn on the show, finding another place for them might not be a bad idea. While Saturday's episode gave SNL the highest ratings it's seen since 2012, the show itself was widely panned.

Maybe Ben Carson can redeem his rap cred by kicking a few verses on Jimmy Fallon?

What did Trump and some of his SNL co-stars think of his performance? Check out the video below.