Louis CK will headline a show at the Hollywood Bowl next month as part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival, and later this summer, Netflix will premiere his new special, Ridiculous, which he directed and executive-produced. These projects represent the first time Netflix has worked with Louis CK since his 2017 special Louis CK 2017, and they come nine years after his career was derailed by a high-profile sexual misconduct scandal. This is his first major outing with a streamer since allegations of sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement.
In 2017, Louis CK was accused of sexual misconduct by five women, allegations he later admitted were true. Several women, including fellow comedians, accused Louis CK of masturbating in front of them. Louis CK later admitted to the allegations, saying the stories were true.
These stories are true.
He added that he learned too late that asking someone to look at his dick was a predicament due to his power over them, which he wielded irresponsibly. In the wake of the allegations, Netflix, FX, and HBO severed ties with Louis CK as part of an industry-wide censure. The distributor of I Love You, Daddy, a film Louis CK wrote, directed, and starred in, cancelled its premiere.
Louis CK began working again, albeit at a lower profile, within months of the allegations. He continued to tour the US and Europe and sell out large venues such as New York's Madison Square Garden. In 2022, Louis CK was awarded a Grammy for the standup special Sincerely Louis CK.
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. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.
In 2023, the documentary Sorry/Not Sorry detailed the fallout for the women who spoke publicly about their experience with Louis CK, many of whom faced further harassment and backlash. Last September, Louis CK said that he felt free after the allegations against him came to light. According to The Independent, Louis CK described that when life gets torn up, it is a relief.
According to The Independent, Louis CK described feeling free because he had tried to manage internal problems for years while doing things he was ashamed of, which he called real hell. He said the accusations upended his comedy career and sent him into a spiral, but he now views it as a beautiful thing. According to The Independent, Louis CK described viewing the scandal as a caring intervention that told him to stop.
When life f***s it up for you, when it gets torn up, it's a relief.
Louis CK opened up about how attending Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous meetings helped him deal with his own problems and connect with others. It is unknown what specific terms or conditions, if any, Netflix set for Louis CK's return, or how the women who accused him have reacted to his Netflix comeback. The financial or promotional scale of his Netflix projects compared to his pre-scandal work also remains unclear.
That's why I felt free, because I had tried to manage these problems I had inside of me for so many years. And I tried to feel like I was a normal person. Or that I was what I thought of as a good person, but I was doing s*** in the background of my life that I was ashamed of. All of that is, like, you can't manage it. And so when you're in front of the world and that's going on inside of you, it's real hell.
I look at that as, like, God's hands, or whatever you want to call it. That was just like a good, caring thing that said, 'Dude, you need to stop. You need to stop. You need out of all this.'