Stephen Colbert sadly but forcefully suggests CBS hold his cherished boss Les Moonves accountable for sexual misconduct

On Monday, CBS's board of directors said it's "selecting outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation" of CBS chief Les Moonves, following allegations of sexual harassment from six women. "No other action was taken on this matter at today's board meeting." Stephen Colbert had a more robust response on Monday's Late Show. In his monologue, "I made a few jokes about my boss being in trouble," he noted. "And — are we still broadcasting? You know what? Don't tell me — I like a surprise."

This year of #MeToo reckoning has been objectively positive, Colbert said. "Because — and it's strange to have to say this — powerful men taking sexual advantage of relatively powerless employees are wrong. We know it's wrong now, and we knew it was wrong then," and we know this "because we know these men tried to keep the stories from coming out back then." What's going to happen with Moonves? Nobody knows, he said. "In a situation like this, I'd normally call Les."

"For so long, for women in the workplace, there was no change, no justice for the abused," Colbert said. "So we shouldn't be surprised that when the change comes, it comes radically," with powerful men banished from public life. He said he doesn't know what will happen at CBS, "but I do believe in accountability. And not just for politicians you disagree with. Everybody believes in accountability until it's their guy — and make no mistake, Les Moonves is my guy. He hired me to sit in this chair, he stood behind this show while we were struggling to find our voice, he gave us the time and the resources to succeed, and he has stood by us when people were mad at me. And I like working for him. But accountability is meaningless unless it's for everybody, whether it's the leader of a network or the leader of the free world." Watch below. Peter Weber

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