At the height of the #MeToo movement in late 2017, with accusations that fellow comic Dave Chappelle called “the only ones that made me laugh,” Louis C.K.’s career was effectively thrown off a cliff.
A New York Times article published in November 2017 revealed that Louis C.K. had a disturbing habit of asking women if he could masturbate in front of them—putting them in what Louis later generously described as a “predicament.” Perhaps even more disgusting was the fact that he denied these kinds of allegations for many years. To top it all off, his most recent film, I Love You, Daddy, featured some, let’s say, “provocative” scenes, which essentially depicted some of the described allegations in moving pictures.
As one might have guessed, this led to some pretty fierce backlash. I Love You, Daddy was pulled from theatres, multiple contracts were halted, and perhaps worst of all, Louis C.K. traded his reputation as the greatest comic of his generation with that of a sexual predator.
But a surprise appearance at the Comedy Cellar on Aug. 26 showed Louis trying out new material, leading some to assume a comeback is approaching. This, of course, begs the question: Should fans of Louis C.K. (and I will admit that I am one) simply go back to supporting him?
Not quite. The general consensus is that what he did was wrong, but was nowhere near the league of Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby. Nonetheless, there are a few things Louis C.K. must do before supporting him loses its ethical baggage.
First, he needs to fully understand why what he did was wrong. He has done that, as evidenced in his lengthy apology published after the New York Times’ article, in which he cited his abuse of power over these women as the reason his actions were less than moral.
Second, he needs to genuinely apologize for his terrible actions. This he has also done. According to a New York Times article, he privately apologized to two of the women before the accusations even came to light, albeit years after the instances. “Last time I talked to you ended in a sordid fashion,” he wrote to one woman. “That was a bad time in my life and I’m sorry.”
Once the accusations came to light, he promptly released the aforementioned lengthy apology, naming the women, confirming their stories, and making a general apology to those he had harmed.
Third, he needs to make sure that he never harms anyone in such a way again. It’s worth noting that there seems to be ample evidence of him not being a massive creep in recent years, as the latest allegation occurred about 13 years ago.
But, in order to truly better himself, and the culture that allowed him to get away with his actions, C.K. needs to listen to the women he and this culture have irreversibly hurt, and share with the world what he has learned.
This will prove once and for all that he is entirely committed to never hurting people in the way that he did again. He has apparently spent nine months listening, as we have not heard a peep from him besides this recent comeback attempt. But thus far, he has not shared what he has learned.
If Louis wants to regain his fans, and even more importantly, if he wants to truly redeem himself after doing such wrong and take a step towards tearing down the culture that lets powerful men do what they want, he needs to continue the conversation by publicly speaking about the lessons he has learned, and commit to improving himself and the culture around him.
