Critics lambaste Louis C.K.’s return; fans applaud

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This article was published 29/08/2018 (2615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Sunday night, Louis C.K. did what he’s done for much of his career, walking on stage for an unannounced set at the Comedy Cellar, the revered institution in New York’s Greenwich Village. In front of a sold-out crowd that reportedly gave C.K. an ovation before he began a 15-minute set, the comedian performed for the first time in almost 10 months since he admitted to numerous instances of sexual misconduct.

In a set filled with bits on racism, parades and waitresses’ tips — what Comedy Cellar owner Noah Dworman described to the New York Times as “typical Louis C.K. stuff” — the comedian was said to be “very relaxed” in his return to the public eye. What was not addressed, however, was his admission of wrongdoing that made C.K. one of the many men to face the consequences of the #MeToo movement.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen as soon as it did,” Dworman told the Times, saying that one audience member called the Comedy Cellar to object to the club allowing C.K. to perform. “I had thought that the first time he’d go on would be in a more controlled environment. But he decided to just rip the Band-Aid off.”

In November 2017, five women came forward to tell their stories of C.K.’s sexual misconduct dating back to more than a decade ago, including instances involving masturbating in front of the women.

The day after the New York Times report, C.K. confirmed the accusations.

“These stories are true,” C.K. said in a statement last November. “At the time, I said to myself that what I did was OK because I never showed a woman” his genitals “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 genitals “isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them.”

Though some fans expressed joy at his return, the majority of the response on social media to C.K.’s return has been criticism from comedians, writers and journalists.

“Back by NO demand, sexual predator Louis C.K. does more of his completely necessary and revolutionary observational comedy,” comedy writer Mitra Jouhari observed. “What a relief that this voice is back on the scene.”

It was a sentiment echoed by MAD Magazine editor Allie Goertz. “I believe people can grow and change, but this urgency to bring him (and others) back SO soon just sends such a bad message,” she tweeted.

— Washington Post