Louis CK

I have never understood the infatuation for Louis C.K.

 

He's really, really funny.

 

The power structure of the relationship is probably what makes it news, in some of the cases. (I'd have to read it closer to figure out which ones and that's why I used the word "probably." I know there was at least one where it seemed like an employer-employee-type situation.)

Otherwise ... yeah, some of it is in the vein of, "This weirdo wanted to do something really weird. I mean, I let him consented, but I didn't want to!"

In light of other stories that have come out, this piece is practically a relief.

 

My initial reaction to this story is massive disappointment. I had heard the rumors but assumed they were nonsense since they never got traction. I sort of agree with @Songbird in that his biggest crime is being an idiot. But I'm also a big Louis C.K. fan, and I wonder if, on some level, I'm still refusing to believe he could be a monster because I like his comedy.

I certainly don't doubt the women who came forward. I also tend to agree with Tig Notaro's suggestion that maybe Louis released her album as a way to compensate for his sins. However, given that this behavior had been rumored since 2009, it seems convenient that she had no earthly idea about them until after her association with him culminated in a starring role on a television show.

 

I don't think there's a better writer/producer/director right now than C.K. His works are as good as anything I've ever seen.

Pound for pound, Horace and Pete's might be the best TV/movie/theatrical performance of all time.

He sent this email the other day. I wonder if he knew the Times story was coming down the pike.

*

Dear email pals,

This is me writing to you, as promised, to let you know that tickets for shows in all cities of my new film I Love You, Daddy are available for pre-sale on my website, louisck.net.

Here's the trailer.

To remind you, I love You, Daddy opens in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago on November 17th. Many of you have already bought tickets for those cities.

The movie stars me, John Malkovich, Chloë Grace Moretz, Rose Byrne, Charlie Day, Helen Hunt, Pamela Adlon and Ebonee Noel. I wrote (with Vernon Chatman), directed, and edited the film.

Then it opens nationwide pretty much in every city that you probably live in, over the first two weekends in December. BUT you can BUY TICKETS NOW to all shows in ALL CITIES by going to louisck.net.

Also we have added the following countries where the movie will be playing in theaters next year:

Spain (and Latin America), Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Bulgaria, Czech/Slovak Republics, Former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Scandinavia.

More cities and countries will be added soon.

That is all the news for now. I'm excited that the film is coming out and I think a lot of you will enjoy this movie. I loved making it.

Once again, you can go right now to louisck.net and purchase tickets to shows in all cities of I Love You, Daddy.

Please have an excellent weekend, and excellent weekstart and a fair weekmiddle.

What you do after that is up to you.

A human being
Louis CK

 

I don't THINK this is a career ender. Seems more creepy than forceful, more weird than criminal, but maybe there's more to come, plus simply having your name added to the growing list of Weinstein/Spacey/etc. may make this stick in a way these same allegations wouldn't (and didn't, honestly) otherwise.

 

I think if there hadn't been rumours for years, this news would be much more shocking. It's also a thread throughout much of his act. But those two things aside, asking women if you can jerk off in front of them—or, worse, just starting to jerk off in front of them—is pretty objectively messed up and terrible behaviour. I'm guessing it's some shame fetish. I dunno. He's obviously a fucked-up dude.

He does such good work, too. His stuff on divorce really helped me get through my own shit. Heroes, man.

 

"A human being" as the sign-off is pretty telling, I think.

 

So here are the five:

1-2. Dan Min Goodman and Julia Wolov - Thought it was weird, thought he was joking, but consented.
3. Abby Schachner - C.K. masturbated on the phone, apparently without consent, and later apologized in a Facebook PM.
4. Rebecca Cory - C.K., a guest star on the pilot she was filming, asked her if he could masturbate in front of her and she declined.
5. Anonymous - Consented, but it was "something I knew was wrong."

Of the five, only 3 and 4 seem potentially newsworthy, to me. Goodman and Wolov's story is straight salacious gossip. And why the NYT is letting an anonymous woman sound off about a consensual experience between adults is beyond me.

The Schachner incident is pretty deplorable and, if true (and it seems to be), represents sexual misconduct, though probably not criminal.

The Cory incident is gross and would get you fired in most workplaces. Perhaps he misinterpreted their interactions. But he respected her decision.

 

I think this might prove to be a hard case for men to understand. (I'm putting myself here, too.) I think we're maybe drawing a distinction between sexual assault where the woman is touched and this, where the women weren't touched. I'm not sure, for women, there is a distinction, or it's not as great a distinction as men might think. I'm going through that argument right now—on the face, this doesn't seem nearly as bad as the Cosby stuff, for instance, and it strikes me as much sadder, as in pathetic, rather than predatory—but I'm not sure whether that's because I believe that's true or because I like Louis CK and I need this not to be as bad.

 

It's not that, for me. It's that the only one that seems to be unconsented-to was the phone conversation. (No. 3 in my Cliff Notes above.) I mean, one is too many, obviously. But I think even calling this "predatory" is a stretch, based upon the story. Not to diminish their discomfort, but at bottom he's a guy with an off-putting fetish. After a second read, I don't even think he was in a power position over any of the women, at least not officially. (I understand his status in their industry means something.)

The women in large part consented to this. They consented to something kind of weird, but they consented to it.

Is this a story two weeks ago?

I don't know that it would have been.

 

This is possibly just beginning for him.

Beyond that, Nos. 1 and 2 didn't give anything that would be recognized as consent in the court of public opinion. CK may not go to jail for what he did, but he could lose his career. He met these two women and jerked off in front of them. That's inarguably pervy.

Now that it's out there, more's likely to come. Perhaps a lot more. That's just how this stuff works.