On Saturday, Louis C.K. released a new standup comedy. Sincerely Louis C.K. marks his first such special since being accused of sexual misconduct by five women in 2017. The disgraced comedian doesn’t shy away from the topic during the set, as he addresses both his behavior and his subsequent fall from grace.
“How was your last couple of years?” he asks during the show. “How was 2018 and 2019 for you guys? Anybody else get in global amounts of trouble?”
“I learned a lot [from the experience],” Louis C.K. goes on to remark. “I learned how to eat alone in a restaurant with people giving me the finger from across the room.”
“I thought I should leave the nation,” he adds. “Thought it was a good idea. Would have left the planet if they had another one of those.”
Louis C.K previously acknowledged the veracity of the allegations levied against him — specifically, that he masturbated in front of women without their consent. During the special, Louis C.K. says of his behavior: “I like jerking off, I don’t like being alone, that’s all I can tell you. I get lonely, it’s just sad. I like company. I like to share. I’m good at it, too. If you’re good at juggling, you wouldn’t do it alone in the dark. You’d gather folks and amaze them.”
However, he says he now understands the importance of consent: “If you want to do it with someone else, you need to ask first. But if they say yes, you still don’t get to go ‘Woo!’ and charge ahead. You need to check in often, I guess that’s what I’d say. It’s not always clear how people feel. Men are taught to make sure the woman is okay. The thing is, women know how to seem okay when they’re not okay.”
To articulate that point, Louis C.K. compares women having sex against their will to slaves singing while they’re being forced to work: “It’s kind of like a Negro spiritual,” he comments. “It’s sort of similar. So to assume that she likes it is like if they heard slaves singing in the field and you’re like, ‘Hey, they’re having a good time out there.'”
Upon releasing the special on Saturday, Louis C.K. said it was for “those who need to laugh” amid “this shitty shitty time.” So if you like laughing along to a guy belittling his own sexual misconduct while comparing his victims’ reactions as akin to African slaves, head to his official website and pick up your own copy of Sincerely Louis C.K. for the low price of $7.99. You’ll also find jokes about necrophilia, pedophilia, terrorism, people with disabilities, the Holocaust (via Variety).
Louis C.K. Jokes About His Sexual Misconduct in New Comedy Special
Alex Young
