Stephen Colbert Addresses The Sexual Allegations Against Louis C.K. And His Abrupt ‘Late Show’ Cancellation

When the report broke earlier on Thursday that Louis C.K. was canceling the premiere of his new film and his scheduled appearance on The Late Show that night, the clock started ticking for the impending release of a New York Times report where 5 women accuse the comedian of sexual misconduct. Once the report was released around an hour later, it became very apparent why these decisions were made.

The situation posed a slight issue for Stephen Colbert, subbing in William H. Macy as a replacement guest, but it also mildly gave him a reason to comment on the story during his monologue:

For those of you tuning in to see my interview with Louis C.K. tonight, I have some bad news. Then I have some REALLY bad news…

The comment was part of a longer segment addressing the wealth of sexual misconduct allegations going public in recent weeks and it earned Louis C.K. a spot next to GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore in Colbert’s monologue thanks to allegations made against the former judge in a Washington Post report released Thursday morning. That is sure to be a surreal moment for some, but it is also representative of the span of allegations we have seen from women in the past weeks.

Colbert’s focus on Moore was not surprising, but his mention of Louis C.K. will likely stand out. It was brief, but carried weight given his past connection to Colbert on The Dana Carvey Show, his frequent appearances on late night, and his status in comedy. There doesn’t seem to be the delay there was with the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

You can watch the full segment below, but search out the full musical performance of Colbert’s update for Keith Urban’s song “Female.” It’s a nice way to clean the palate after the discussion of sexual assault.

(Via The Late Show)