Louis C.K. Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Overview

Louis C.K. Sexual Misconduct Allegations refer to claims made from several women that comedian Louis C.K. had masturbated in front of them without their consent. After first being reported on by Gawker sub-site Defamer in 2015, The New York Times broke the story in November of 2017. Prior to the New York Times story breaking, the New York premiere of Louis C.K.'s film I Love You Daddy, which featured characters miming masturbation in front of others, was cancelled.

History

On March 19th, 2012, Gawker^[1] published a story saying they had received tips from several sources a that a prominent comedian liked to trap women in hotel rooms and masturbate in front of them. Though they did not mention C.K. by name, they did call the unnamed comedian "our nation's most hilarious stand-up comic and critically cherished sitcom auteur," suggesting they may have known it was Louis C.K. On May 15th, 2015, Gawker sub-site Defamer^[2] published a conversation a fan had with Louis C.K. over email in which the fan asked the comedian to stop masturbating in front of women. Louis C.K. then offered to call and talk to this fan, and the fan described the conversation they had as "non-substantive" and that C.K. was trying to find out what exactly he knew (screenshots of their email conversation shown below).

Developments

On June 13th, 2016, Vulture^[7] ran a piece in which they interviewed C.K. and asked him about the Defamer article, to which C.K. said "I don’t care about that. That’s nothing to me. That’s not real." On June 30th, 2016, The Daily Beast^[5] published an interview with comedian Roseanne Barr who said that she had heard many stories about C.K. locking women in hotel rooms and masturbating in front of them. A little over a year later, on August 23rd, 2017, comedian Tig Notaro also spoke to The Daily Beast,^[6] stating that C.K., who is an executive producer on Notaro's One Mississippi, should "handle" the allegations ahead of his film.

On November 9th, The Hollywood Reporter^[3] reported that the New York premier of C.K.'s upcoming film, I Love You Daddy, had been cancelled and that C.K.'s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had been cancelled as well in advance of a story about C.K. due to appear in The New York Times.

New York Times Story

On November 9th, 2017, A New York Times^[4] story detailing several women's accounts of C.K.'s sexual "misconduct" was published. The story has accounts from five women who claimed C.K. had behaved sexually inappropriately in front of them. The story begins by telling the story of comedy duo Dana Min Goodwin and Julia Wolov, who were invited to C.K.'s hotel room in Aspen, Colorado after opening for C.K. at the US Comedy Arts Festival in 2002. According to their account, C.K. asked if he could show the duo his penis, then proceeded to take off all his clothes and begin masturbating. The story also quotes Abby Schachner, Rebecca Corry, and an anonymous fifth woman who have had similar experiences with C.K. Schachner alleges that C.K. began masturbating while on a phone call with her without her consent. Corry alleges that C.K. asked if he could take her to his dressing room and masturbate in front of her, and she refused. The anonymous fifth woman says she consented to C.K.'s request to watch him masturbate because she was afraid of C.K.'s power and influence.

Included in the Times story was a quote from Corry in which C.K. called her to apologize for "shoving her in a bathroom," when in act he had asked to masturbate in front of her.

In 2015, a few months before the now-defunct website Defamer circulated rumors of Louis C.K.’s alleged sexual misconduct, Ms. Corry also received an email from Louis C.K., which was obtained by The Times, saying he owed her a “very very very late apology.” When he phoned her, he said was sorry for shoving her in a bathroom. Ms. Corry replied that he had never done that, but had instead asked to masturbate in front of her. Responding in a shaky voice, he acknowledged it and said, “I used to misread people back then,” she recalled.

Louis C.K.'s Response

The following day, C.K. responded to the allegations made in the New York Times.^[16] He wrote:

"I want to address the stories told to The New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not.

These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was O.K. because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I’ve tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I’m aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position. I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it. There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with. I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work.

The hardest regret to live with is what you’ve done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I’d be remiss to exclude the hurt that I’ve brought on people who I work with and have worked with who’s professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You, Daddy. I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I’ve brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. and every other entity that has bet on me through the years. I’ve brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother.

I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen. Thank you for reading."

Following his admission to sexual assault, the statement was posted to multiple subreddits, including /r/Telelvsion^[17] and /r/News.^[18]

Later that day, the website Quartz^[20] edited his apology, taking issue with his response to the allegations.

Victims' Response

Following C.K.'s response on November 10th, two of C.K.'s accusers victims, Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov, responded to his statement on Twitter. In a joint post, they wrote, "It was a statement not an apology. Don't get it twisted." The post (shown below) received more than 195 retweets and 2,100 likes.^[27]

Another one of his accusers, Abby Schachner responded on Facebook. ^[28] She said:

"Louis put out a statement, which frankly, made me cry. It touched me. And I do feel some of his insights speak to how I felt. I looked up to the people who recognized my work and made them (sigh), father figures/mentors whether they wanted that role or not. I shot myself in the foot, protected myself when I needed to be bold, was ‘bold’ when I should’ve been ‘poised’, hid behind ex-boyfriends, excuses, and the excuse of my excuses. I felt like I disappointed anyone who ever believed in me. But most of all, I never truly valued myself […] I do forgive Louis. I forgave him. But most of all, I think it’s time to forgive myself, too.

Online Reaction

Online, the news was met with outrage. The part including C.K.'s misremembered apology struck many Twitter users as chilling. Twitter user @charles_kinbote^[8] called the quote "chilling" in a tweet that gained 100 retweets (shown below, left). Comedian Nicole Silverberg^[9] recounted a time when she was told to delete a tweet about C.K.'s alleged misconduct for the benefit of her comedy career, then thanked the women who came forward in a tweet that gained over 2,200 retweets (shown below, right). Twitter's reaction was covered in Twitter Moments^[10] shortly after the story was published.

After his admission was published, some online reacted negatively to his statement. Twitter^[19] user @redpaintonlips tweeted, "The statement is 10 paragraphs long and Louis CK literally never says the word sorry." The post (shown below, left) received more than 530 retweets and 1,100 likes in less than an hour. Twitter user @TheFeinPrint tweeted, "There are things left out of Louis CK’s apology -- the years he CRUSHED these rumors -- but straight-forward contrition is better than not." Within an house, the post (shown below, center) received more than 60 retweets and 300 likes. Twitter user @samthielman tweeted, "I have always admired Louis CK not least for his honesty and this statement means so much less than it would have last week, which a guy who spends Spaulding Gray levels of time thinking about himself has to know." The post (shown below, right) 20 retweets and 100 likes.

I Love You, Daddy Release

Ahead of the New York Times expose, The Hollywood Reporter^[11] reported that representatives for the premiere of Louis C.K.'s 2017 film I Love You, Daddy canceled the event, citing "unexpected circumstances." That evening, the film's distributor, The Orchard,^[12] released a statement: "In light of the allegations concerning Louis C.K. referenced in today’s New York Times, we are cancelling tonight’s premiere of I Love You, Daddy. There is never a place for the behavior detailed in these allegations. As a result, we are giving careful consideration to the timing and release of the film and continuing to review the situation."

The following day, the Orchard canceled the release of the film. In statement,^[13] the distributor said, "The Orchard will not be moving forward with the release of I Love You, Daddy.”

Network Response

Following the report, numerous networks in business with C.K. released statements. FX Network, which aired C.K.'s Emmy-winning series Louie, as well as numerous television shows produced by the comedian promised to put his properties at the network under review.^[14] They said in a statement, "We are obviously very troubled by the allegations about Louis C.K. published in The New York Times today. The network has received no allegations of misconduct by Louis C.K. related to any of our 5 shows produced together over the past 8 years. FX Networks and FXP take all necessary actions to protect our employees and thoroughly investigate any allegations of misconduct within our workplace. That said, the matter is currently under review."

HBO, the station that aired C.K.'s previous series Lucky Louie, removed all of the comedians work from their on demand catalogue, which included various standup comedy specials and the aforementioned series. The network also removed the comedian from their Night of Too Many Stars comedy special for charity.

Additionally, Netflix, who produced a standup comedy special for C.K. earlier in 2017, announced that they would not be producing a second.^[15] The said, "The allegations made by several women in The New York Times about Louis C.K.’s behavior are disturbing. Louis’s unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with female colleagues has led us to decide not to produce a second stand-up special, as had been planned."

Comedians' Response

On November 13th, 2017, comedian, podcaster and long-time friend of Louis C.K., Marc Maron addressed the controversy on his podcast, W.T.F with Marc Maron. He said:

"“Sadly, I knew what most people knew. There was a story, out there, I guess going back several years. That there were unnamed people in the story. It took place in a hotel room in Aspen. It was always out there, but then it would pick up momentum at different times.

"I would say, ‘This story about you forcing these women to watch you jerk off -- what is that? Is that true?’ He goes, ‘No, it’s not true. It’s not real. It’s a rumor.’

“And I would say, ‘Well, are you going to address it somehow, to handle it, to get out from under it, whenever it shows up?’” “He goes, ‘No, I can’t. I can’t do that. It’ll give it life. It’ll give it air.’ And that -- that was the conversation. The other incidents, how would everybody know about that?

“There was no place for women to go tell this story. There was no women attached to it. I didn’t know their names until Friday. So I believed my friend."

On November 14th, Jon Stewart appeared on The Today Show, where he publicly addressed the controversy. Referencing a time in the past when he was asked about the allegations, Stewart says that he did not know the rumors until they were written about in the times.^[25] He continued:

"You always find yourself back to a moment of, 'Did I miss something? Could I have done more?' And in this situation, I think we all could've. So you feel anger at what you did to people. Comedy on its best day is not a great environment for women. I think it's gotten better over the years, but certainly, when we started 30 years ago, it was really difficult. So to do it was an act of bravery in and of itself."

Return to Standup

On August 26th, 2018, Louis C.K. made an unannounced appearance at the Comedy Cellar comedy club, where he performed for the first time since admitting to sexual misconduct in November 2017.^[36] Of the performance, Comedy Cellar-owner Noam Dworman said the comedian performed "typical Louis C.K. stuff."

"It sounded just like he was trying to work out some new material, almost like any time of the last 10 years he would come in at the beginning of a new act," he said.

However, Dworman also said that the one audience member said, "He wished he had known in advance, so he could’ve decided whether to have been there or not." Other audience members, Dworman claimed, sent emails stating that they were happy with the show.

Online, the performance set off a range of reactions, with some supporting C.K.'s return and others claiming that the comedian had done nothing to make amends for his actions.

On August 28th, comedian Michael Ian Black tweeted,^[37] "Will take heat for this, but people have to be allowed to serve their time and move on with their lives. I don't know if it's been long enough, or his career will recover, or if people will have him back, but I'm happy to see him try." The tweet (shown below, left) received more than 3,400 comments, 500 retweets and 6,400 likes in 24 hours.

Other comedians, such as Michael Che from the sketch comedy teleivision series Saturday Night Live posted several comments on his Instagram about C.K. He wrote,^[38] "What's interesting to me about these articles against Louis C.K. performing again, is how important fame is to people. A lot of what I read says that C.K. shouldn't get to be a 'famous' comedian anymore. Because to them, he's still winning. Isn't that strange?"

However, others online contested that what C.K. had done does not entitle him to return to work, and that he has not been punished or done anything to redeem himself for the misconduct he admitted to. They also, frequently, argued that C.K. is not the victim of his actions. Twitter^[39] user @alicewetterlund tweeted, "LOUIS CK IS WEALTHY LOUIS CK IS WEALTHY LOUIS CK IS WEALTHY LOUIS CK IS WEALTHY FUCKING STOP ASKING 'HOW WILL HE FEED HIS FAMILY' HE WILL FEED HIS FAMILY NOTHING BUT TRUFFLE OIL AND BE FINE. SEXUAL PREDATORS ARE NOT THE VICTIMS OF THEIR CRIMES. THEY ARE THE CRIMINALS." Within 24 hours, the tweet (shown below, right) received more than 1,300 retweets and 8,700 likes.

That day, Twitter^[40] user @IanKarmel posted a thread on Twitter, calling the expulsion of C.K. from the comedy world a "workplace safety issue." They wrote: "Louis CK being 'banished' from stand-up comedy wasn't some kind of petty punishment, it was a fucking workplace safety issue. I think some of you think that because we're alone on stage, that stand-up is a completely solitary line of work, but it's not. You spend tons of time with other comedians, often in situations where there's an imbalance in power. Can you imagine the bank you're working at hiring back the guy who jacked off in front of women without their consent because it had been like, a year or something?" The initial tweet (thread below) received more than 8,400 retweets and 52,000 likes in 24 hours.

Others argued that the C.K.'s punishment showed a double standard. Twitter^[41] user @vornietom joked, "If Louis CK had jerked off in front of most of the dudes currently defending Louis CK, they would have murdered him and then gotten off with a gay panic defense." The tweet (shown below) received more than 2,600 retweets and 17,000 likes in 24 hours.

Several media outlets covered the performance, including The Daily Beast,^[42] Deadline,^[43] Vulture^[44] and more.

Related Memes

Nice Allegations

In response to recent allegations made against Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, Twitter user @BAKKOOONN tweeted,^[21] "if anyone has any nice allegations against a celebrity that would be great too. does a famous actor give good christmas presents. does lady comedian alwyays smoke people out." The tweet received more than 8000 comments, 11,000 retweets and 58,000 likes in five days.

Shortly after the post was made, people began responding with positive stores about celebrities (examples below).

Several media outlets reported on the tweet, including TIME,^[22] The AV Club,^[23] The New York Daily News,^[24] The Metro,^[29] Stuff,^[30] The Irish Independent,^[31] News Corp,^[32] Daily Mail,^[33] Huffington Post,^[34] Entertainment Weekly^[35] and more.

Search Interest

External References