Louis C.K. has laid low since a November exposé from The New York Times detailed five accusations of sexual misconduct against the comedian. But on Friday, actress Edie Falco suggested it's time to give him "another chance."
Falco, 54, worked with Louis C.K., 50, on his projects Horace and Pete and I Love You, Daddy. She argued that his confession to sexual misconduct, issued after the Times story, should give him an opportunity for career redemption.
"He's someone who admitted that he did what he was accused of doing and admitted that it wasn't right," Falco told Vulture. "If I was not given another chance a couple of times, there is no way we'd be having this interview right now. People who are committed to becoming aware of what they've done and changing, they can be our strongest proponents in an issue like this."
The comedian, born Louis A. Székely, was accused of masturbating or asking to masturbate in front of five women. He admitted "these stories are true" shortly after the Times report surfaced. "What I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d*** isn't a question. It's a predicament for them," he wrote at the time. "The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly."
After his confession, Louis C.K. dealt with a swift, and nearly total, backlash. He was dropped by publicist Lewis Kay, the APA Agency and longtime manager Dave Becky of 3 Arts Entertainment, Deadline reported. His movie I Love You, Daddy, which was acquired by distributor the Orchard for a reported $5 million, was pulled from release—and the film's co-stars Chloë Grace Moretz and Charlie Day declared they would no longer promote the film.
His content was also removed from HBO's on-demand service, and Netflix said it would not produce a standup special featuring the comedian. FX Networks and FX Productions severed their longtime partnership with his company, Pig Newton. TBS dropped an animated series he co-created, called The Cops.
Still, Louis C.K. has found support in the enetertainment industry. Besides Falco, fellow comedian Dave Chappelle addressed the scandal in his Netflix standup special The Bird Revelation. While the 44-year-old acknowledged the allegations actor Kevin Spacey and broadcaster Charlie Rose faced, Chappelle said the women's accusations against Louis C.K. "sounded weak."
"I know it's terrible. I'm sorry, ladies. You're right," Chappelle said. "But at the same time, I don't know, Jesus Christ, they took everything from Louis. That was like...it might be disproportionate."
Representatives for Louis C.K. did not immediately return Newsweek's request for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more
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