Stephen Colbert says it's 'dumb' he didn't know about Cosby, Louis C.K.

In conversation with Samantha Bee at a fundraiser for the Montclair Film organization, Stephen Colbert said he "felt dumb" for not realizing the scope of Hollywood's sexual misconduct. Bee pointed out that public accusations against Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K. and more have mostly been eye-opening for men, but long overdue justice for women who whispered warnings to each other for decades.

"But you are saying this is not surprising to any woman on the planet?" Colbert asked Bee.

"No! No," she responded.

"I feel dumb," Colbert said. "I'm not surprised that men are bad but... I didn't know about Louis. I didn't even know about Cosby! And that's dumb."

SEE ALSO:Stephen Colbert acknowledges the Louis C.K. accusations

"It's heartbreaking but it's not surprising probably to most women I know in the comedy community, but it's definitely not surprising to any woman who lives on planet Earth," Bee had said earlier. "The speed and ferocity at which everything is coming forward at the moment is impressive to me, and I'm happy to be alive in this moment. In a moment where people are feeling freer with their stories and we don't have to live with shame. It's really still hard for people, this is the tippy top of the flag on the top of the iceberg."

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Those close to C.K. or in the comedy community weren't entirely oblivious; Marc Maron admitted that he had heard rumors about C.K. but believed the comedian when he dismissed them. Bill Cosby's fall from grace actually began with another comedian, when Hannibal Buress called him a rapist during a set.

Colbert said at the festival that he had planned to ask C.K. about problematic artists and pervasive rumors in the context of his now-canceled film release for I Love You, Daddy.

"I saw Louis's movie, which very few people can say," Colbert said. “...The way I was going to approach talking to him about this subject, which I knew he didn’t want to talk about, was people in the movie talk about rumors of sexual impropriety by one of the characters. At like minute 42, one of the characters says, ‘Can you separate the artist from the rumors about him?’ How would you answer that question? That was going to be my tack."

C.K. canceled his appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbertahead of the New York Timesarticle that would eventually accuse him of sexual misconduct.

Colbert added: "One of my children said to me, 'You know if sexual impropriety were weather, this is hurricane season! Every day there is lanfall of another hurricane, and another career get's ripped away!'"

"Yeah, it is a tsunami of penises! Coming onto the shore!" Bee replied.

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TopicsStephen ColbertCelebrities