Nolte: Entertainment Weekly Not Sure if Louis C.K. Was Canceled

Louis C.K. speaks onstage at the the 21st Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on M
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Webby Awards

Six years ago, comedian Louis C.K. admitted to disgusting behavior, lost everything, and now the far-left Entertainment Weekly and a new documentary are questioning if he was really blacklisted canceled.

Entertainment Weekly stated:

But by the next year [after his admission], the “canceled” comedian returned to stand-up, including launching an international tour. In the years that followed, he appeared as a surprise guest at sold-out Dave Chappelle shows and released several comedy specials, including 2021’s Sorry, which included jokes about his sexual misconduct and won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

This is an outrageous and shameless lie of omission. Louis C.K. lost everything. His feature film, I Love You, Daddy, was pulled from its premiere and dumped by the distributor. His talk show appearances were canceled. FX canceled his Emmy-winning show Louie and removed him as a producer from Baskets and Better Things — two shows he helped create. HBO dropped him. An animated series he had set up at TBS was canceled. He lost his role in a sequel to The Secret Life of Pets.

Sure, he might have gotten some club dates, some help from his friends, released comedy specials through his website, and won an Emmy FOUR YEARS LATER, but he went from a superstar rock god to a wedding singer overnight. Louis C.K. wasn’t “canceled” he was CANCELED.

This is just one of the many things I hate about the fascist #MeToo Movement. Here I am, having to defend a pig who abused his celebrity power to force women to watch him masturbate. But what do these harpies want? When are these guys allowed out of career jail?

The full context of this dishonest Entertainment Weekly piece is even worse: Six years after his admission, a documentary called Sorry/Not Sorry (an obvious retort to Louis C.K.’s comedy special Sorry) is hitting the festival circuit. The documentary makers are angry that the “famous women who once criticized C.K.’s behavior didn’t want to participate in the film” and that “every single famous comedian” the documentary approached declined to participate.

Well, maybe they’ve moved on? Maybe they’ve decided the punishment has already fit the crime, and it’s time to remove the boot from this guy’s neck:

“I think the thing that really stands out in my mind having been super involved with the outreach, is how many women who had spoken out around 2017, when we reapproached them 2020-2021 declined, which is sort of a sobering reality and it also just goes to show the bravery of the women who are in the film,” Lingo said. “I think, as we’re sort of looking back at the #MeToo movement now in the rearview mirror and everyone’s always asking, ‘Are things better? Are things worse?’ It’s really hard to have a blanket sort of assessment, but just the fact that the women, who at that moment felt this sense of promise, to now not feel that anymore I think is quite dark.”

I am no Louis C.K. fan, but the guy has adequately paid for his sins. And the paying will never end because his disgusting behavior is now a permanent part of his legacy — which he deserves. I’d prefer not to live in a culture where powerful men bully women into watching them masturbate. Still, I’d also prefer to live in a culture that doesn’t hold grudges forever, where there’s grace, forgiveness, and second chances instead.

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.

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