WARNING: This article contains sexual and explicit language and may be triggering for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.
Comedian Sarah Silverman said that Louis C.K. used to masturbate in front of her, with her consent, earlier in their careers.
Last November, five women accused the comedian of inappropriate behaviour. The women claimed the comedian either masturbated in front of them or asked permission to do so.
He released a statement in which he said the stories were true and he expressed remorse for his actions.
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“Listen, I don’t know if I’m going to regret saying this, but I’ve known Louis forever. I’m not making excuses for him — please don’t take this that way,” she said during an interview with Howard Stern on Monday.
She continued: “But, you know, we are peers, we are equals. When we were kids, and he used to ask if he could masturbate in front of me, sometimes I’d go, ‘F**k yeah I want to see that!’”
“It’s not analogous to the other women that are talking about what he did to them, because he could offer me nothing. We were only just friends. So sometimes, yeah, I wanted to see it, it was amazing,” Silverman told Stern.
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Silverman went on to address The New York Times article, in which the women accused C.K. of inappropriate behaviour.
“Sometimes I’d be like, ‘F**king, gross, no,’ and we’d get pizza. So I’m not saying what he did was okay, I’m just saying at a certain point, when he became influential — not even famous — but influential in the world of comedy, it changes. And he realized that. He realized it later — but certainly before that New York Times — and even in that New York Times article, they talk about how he went on and tried to connect with some of these women to say, ‘I f**ked up and wronged you and want to make this right,'” she said.
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The 47-year-old comedian said she’s not saying “everyone should embrace Louis again.”
“I believe he has remorse. I just want him to talk about it on stage. He’s going to have to find his way or not find his way,” she said of C.K.
“I love him. He’s my brother. I’ve known him since I was 19. It’s so hard to talk about, because, you know, it’s all very black and white until it comes to your front door and the ‘bad guy’ is someone you love.”
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Silverman began to compare C.K.’s actions to Bill Cosy and Harvey Weinstein.
“Listen: What he did was wrong. I would not say it was analogous to the serial rapist Bill Cosby, I would not say it’s even close to Harvey Weinstein. His pathology is permission-based — I’m not saying that’s okay because once he got famous, even just in the comedy community, that changes everything, and it makes it not okay — including, as he said even, putting these women in a predicament,” she said.
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She continued: “It took him a long time to realize that that was not okay. But it just seems like how people come forward and say, ‘I did this and I have immense remorse and I want to make it right.’ … I’m not saying they shouldn’t be punished or whatever, but it just is… They’re dead to the world, and then these schmucks that deny deny deny, no matter how much proof there is — and I’m talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Kavanaugh.”
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Silverman said that once C.K. “became powerful, even within just his community, he felt like he was the same person, but the dynamic was different and it was not okay. But you know, I believe he has remorse, I believe he can come back, I just want him to talk about it onstage. But comics don’t like to be told what to do, so he’s just gonna have to find his way or not find his way and people are gonna watch him or not watch him.”
Following Silverman’s interview with Stern, one of C.K.’s accusers, comedian Rebecca Corry, responded to Silverman about what she said in the interview.
“To be real clear, C.K. had ‘nothing to offer me’ as I, too, was his equal on the set the day he decided to sexually harass me,” she wrote. “He took away a day I worked years for and still has no remorse. He’s a predator who victimized women for decades and lied about it.”
Silverman responded to Corry with an apology: “Rebecca I’m sorry. Ugh this is why I don’t like weighing in. I can’t seem to do press 4 my show w/out being asked about it. But you’re right- you were equals and he f**ked with you and it’s not ok. I’m sorry, friend. You are so talented and so kind.”
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Last year, Silverman’s sister Laura tweeted that C.K. masturbated in front of her 20 times during a cross-country trip before he was famous but she didn’t see it as a criminal act.
“After that, it’s was Louis C.K., on a cross country trip before he was famous. About 20 times. Not criminal. But compulsive, rude & gross,” she wrote.
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C.K. previously said the harassment claims by five women detailed in a New York Times report “are true” and that he “can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them.”
“There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for,” he wrote. ” And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with.”
The actions resulted in the end of a production deal with FX Networks and the cancellation of a movie release.
C.K. also apologized to the cast and crew of several projects he’s been working on, his family, children and friends, his manager and the FX network, among others.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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