Louis C.K. Cancels His Cancellation, Is it OK to Laugh Now?

Clarence Page, Tribune Content Agency on Apr 5, 2022

Just as the internet has given a stage to performers such as C.K, the twitterstorm that followed his Grammy gave voice to many of those women, among others on both sides.

Comedian and TV writer Jen Kirkman, who talks about C.K.’s inappropriate behavior toward her on her latest stand-up album “OK Gen-X,” complained in a tweet that male comedians had expressed alarm when Chris Rock was slapped, but were “SILENT 2nite on Louis CK winning a Grammy for an album where he jokes about his assaults” on women.

She also slammed Dave Chappelle for blaming the victims in his defense of Louis C.K. on his Netflix specials. Like numerous other female comics, she pointed out how many nasty tweets and emails she receives for calling out sexual harassment, inspired partly by Chappelle’s comments.

Indeed, that’s not only true of women in comedy. Although I know better than to expect gentle treatment from all of my readers, I’ve often been astonished and dismayed by the depth of vitriol that I have seen in emails and tweets — and, based on what I have witnessed, it’s worse for women.

That doesn’t mean C.K. and other comics like him need to stop being funny. Quite the opposite, the talent of great comedians shows itself best, in my view, when they can dance along the edge of public sensibilities without falling over the edge, perhaps landing themselves in comedy exile.

His fellow comedian Amy Schumer spoke for many when she reacted to C.K.’s Grammy-winning self-released stand-up special “Sincerely Louis C.K.” in a New York Times interview with, “Yes, I laughed at a lot of it. But it’s hard to not think of what he has done, what he has and hasn’t learned. But I definitely laughed.”

Indeed, the wise old advice still holds true that, if you really want to hurt a comedian, don’t laugh. When enough people do that, even Louis will get the message.

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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@chicagotribune.com.)