On Friday, November 10, comedian Louis CK released a ten paragraph statement that responds to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct filed against him. Several women stepped up and voiced their experiences with the comedian saying that he committed acts sexual misconduct. In a statement submitted to the New York Times, the comedian admits that “these stories are true.”
“At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay 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,” C.K. said. “The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.”
In the statement, the comedian adds that he is remorseful for his wrongdoings, but within this ten paragraph testimony, never does he directly apologize to any of these women and never does he acknowledge how long he has dismissed these rumors. For someone who is “remorseful for his actions,” this person has had no hesitation to recognize these rumors and was easily able to deny all of these allegations, that is up until actual victims spoke out regarding their experiences. The comedian, in the statement also defends his manager, Dave Becky, who also represents other well-known comedians, for trying to silence CK’s accusers.
He does acknowledge the emotional pain he has brought to the people around him, especially those he has worked with on TV projects, including the film I Love You, Daddy, which was shelved from Netflix recently.
In the current climate of sexual misconduct allegations being pinned on nearly every big Hollywood maverick nearly every day, it is not enough for predators to just admit to their inappropriate crimes and talk about how THEIR actions have harmed them. Everyone must force these predators to acknowledge how their power was able to trample over the voiceless. There needs to be a bigger force that combats these scandals, and it must begin now. Recognize how these predators have pushing these victims away for years and denying the credibility of these accusations. Louis CK, your announcement is certainly a step forward, but you have failed to properly acknowledge the women you have harmed.
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.
