Stephen Colbert calls for accountability following sexual misconduct allegations against Les Moonves

On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Monday, Colbert found himself in a strange position: addressing sexual misconduct allegations against his boss, Les Moonves. According to an article posted online by The New Yorker on Friday, six women have accused Moonves of inappropriate behavior dating back to the ’80s and lasting through the 2000s. Moonves has denied any wrongdoing, and his wife, Julie Chen of The Talk, is sticking by his side. The CBS board met Monday and is in the process of starting an independent investigation. Moonves will remain the head of CBS pending the outcome of the investigation. After earlier joking about the situation he found himself in, Colbert struck a more serious note and said, “This weekend some people asked me, probably ‘cause I work here, ‘What do you think is gonna happen?’ I don’t know. I don’t know who does know,” Colbert said. “In a situation like this, I’d normally call Les.” Colbert went on to call for accountability, saying, “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do believe in accountability, and not just from politicians you disagree with. Everybody believes in accountability until it’s their guy, and make no mistake, Les Moves is my guy.” Colbert went on to list everything that Moonves did for him, from hiring him to host The Late Show, to giving the show the time and resources it needed to succeed. Despite everything that Moonves did for the show, Colbert called for accountability not only from him, but anyone who is guilty of wrongdoing, no matter how powerful. “Accountability is meaningless unless it’s for everybody,” Colbert said, “whether it’s the leader of a network or the leader of the free world.”