--- ---  # Stephen Colbert Addresses His Boss Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jul 31, 2018 2:58 PM UTC  CBS  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jul 31, 2018 2:58 PM UTC [Stephen Colbert](http://time.com/5348278/stephen-colbert-ivanka-trump-fashion-brand-shutdown/) didn’t shy away from addressing the [sexual misconduct allegations](http://time.com/5351805/les-moonves-cbs-sexual-harassment-claims/) leveled against his boss, [CBS CEO Les Moonves](http://time.com/5352838/moonves-sexual-misconduct-cbs/). During Monday’s episode of _The Late Show_, the host responded to a recent [report in the ](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/06/les-moonves-and-cbs-face-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct)[_New Yorker_ ](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/08/06/les-moonves-and-cbs-face-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct)detailing the sexual harassment accusations of six women. “Everybody believes in accountability until it’s their guy, and make no mistake, Les Moonves is my guy,” Colbert said. “But accountability is meaningless, unless it’s for everybody. Whether it’s the leader of a network or the leader of the free world.” In a statement provided to the _New Yorker_ , Moonves acknowledged that there were times in the past that he may have made some women uncomfortable, but said that he never used his position to harm anyone’s career. “Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company,” he said. “I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected—and abided by the principle—that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career.” The [CBS board](http://time.com/5352838/moonves-sexual-misconduct-cbs/) has opted to select an outside counsel to investigate the allegations. Watch the full clip below. Stephen Colbert Addresses Les Moonves Allegations ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5353849/stephen-colbert-on-moonves/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5353849/stephen-colbert-on-moonves/"},"headline":"Stephen Colbert Addresses His Boss Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations","datePublished":"2018-07-31T14:58:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:54:05.052Z","description":"\"Accountability is meaningless unless it's for everybody\"","url":"https://time.com/5353849/stephen-colbert-on-moonves/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television","stephen colbert","TV","the late show","Late Night Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf00dd936a92acf02/698936ae0a4a2287919d353a/screen-shot-2018-07-31-at-10-16-25-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf00dd936a92acf02/698936ae0a4a2287919d353a/screen-shot-2018-07-31-at-10-16-25-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Stephen-Colbert-Les-Moonves-Allegations","caption":"","creditText":"CBS","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5353849/stephen-colbert-on-moonves/","name":"Stephen Colbert Addresses His Boss Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations"}}]}] ```