Louis CK apparently thinks nine months of post-#MeToo silence is long enough
"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."
That's how Louis CK signed off in a November 2017 statement admitting to years of sexually inappropriate behavior toward women, both colleagues and fans. Now, less than a year later, CK's "long time to listen" has apparently ended: He performed in New York City on Sunday night.
The unannounced appearance at NYC's Comedy Cellar was the disgraced comedian's first reported public performance since he retreated from the public eye. His 15-minute set started at around 11:00 p.m. ET and was "like, classic Louis," according to Mo Amer, another comic on the bill that night, per the New York Times.
CK's surprise appearance reportedly drew a positive response from the crowd, which greeted him with a standing ovation before his set started. Not everyone approved, however.
Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman was at home in bed when CK took the stage, but he told the Times that he received a call from an angry customer the next day. "He wished he had known in advance, so he could’ve decided whether to have been there or not," Dworman said.
In texts to the owner, staff at the club echoed Amer's assessment of CK's set. It was "typical Louis CK stuff," Dworman told the Times. "It sounded just like he was trying to work out some new material, almost like any time of the last 10 years he would come in at the beginning of a new act."
Tangentially, have you checked out Hannah Gadsby's wonderful Netflix comedy special, Nanette? Or Ali Wong's Hard Knock Wife, a follow-up to her excellent 2016 special, Baby Cobra? Also, the supremely talented comic and White House enemy of note Michelle Wolf has a relatively new HBO special of her own, Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady.
No reason for mentioning those, really. Just making some recommendations. (Also, did you know NYC has tons of other great comedy clubs?)
Anyway. As you might imagine, some on the internet aren't pleased that Louis CK is apparently trying to stage a comeback. Especially alongside the near-simultaneous revelation that disgraced TV news anchor Matt Lauer is doing the same.
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UPDATED Aug. 28, 2018 1:31 p.m. ET An earlier version of this post erroneously stated that Michelle Wolf has an HBO special coming up. That special, Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady, actually first aired in December 2017. I apologize for the error.
Topics Celebrities
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
