Charlie Rose’s former co-anchor Gayle King had a long Tuesday. She went from speaking about her feelings regarding allegations made against him on CBS This Morning to a pre-scheduled appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, all on very little sleep.

King had originally been set to appear on the Late Show for a light-hearted conversation about Oprah's latest “Favorite Things” installment, in her capacity as an editor-at-large for O. Instead, thanks to the fortuitous timing of a Washington Post exposé on Monday in which eight women accused Rose of sexual harassment, her chat with Colbert took on a much more somber tone. (Rose issued a statement apologizing for his “inappropriate behavior,” though he also said, “I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate.”)

King said she considered cancelling her appearance. “I didn’t want to be sitting here talking about this,” she said. “But when you think about the job we do at CBS, and how hard the people work, I wanna know we are a top-notch broadcast operation, and that’s why I thought it was important to be here.”

Colbert said he was proud of the work King and the team at CBS had done that day, covering the personally devastating news as the news, reporting on a close friend and colleague, “objectively and fully.” But King said she was only doing her job. “You know Stephen, to be honest with you, it still isn’t easy. It’s still very painful, it’s still very hurtful … but when you think about the anguish of those women—despite the friendship—you still have to report the news.”

King described company meeting held that afternoon, where everyone at CBS was still reeling from the shock. “Monday your world is one way, and in 24 hours Charlie has been suspended and then he has been fired… I’m still wrapping my brain around that.”

But King—who Slate’s Marissa Martinelli wrote yesterday could “teach a master class about how to respond when someone you work with is accused of sexual harassment”—repeatedly emphasized her sympathy and respect for the brave victims of her former colleague. She spoke at length about the way forward for women, calling on men to play a larger role in the conversation while calling bull on those who say they can’t tell the difference between appropriate behavior and harassment. (Rose also wrote in his statement, “I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”) “We all know the difference,” said King.