Louis C.K. Performs Another Unwelcome, Surprise Set at the Comedy Cellar
When disgraced comedian Louis C.K. performed a controversial, unannounced stand-up set at New Yorks ..
When disgraced comedian Louis C.K. performed a controversial, unannounced stand-up set at New Yorks Comedy Cellar in August, the clubs owner, Noam Dworman, was immediately defensive of the decision to let C.K. on stage. “I would just like to be a platform,” he said. He wasnt joking. C.K. was back with another surprise set Sunday night and many in the crowd did not seem happy about it.
A major argument in the debate over whether C.K. should be “allowed” back on the comedy scene less than a year after he admitted to and apologized for masturbating in front of multiple women without their consent had to do with the surprise nature of his performance. Its one thing, critics argued, for someone to knowingly attend a C.K. show, and its another for an unsuspecting audience to have him sprung on them. The lack of consent there is particularly ironic in C.K.s case.
But no lessons seemed to be learned from the August controversy because the Comedy Cellar once again did not prepare its crowd for C.K.s appearance. An unnamed source told Page Six: “He went on around midnight. A few women walked out.”
Gothamist reports that according to the Comedy Cellars brand-new rules, those who left after C.K. took the stage were not made to pay their checks. Dworman told the Huffington Post that he has instituted a “swim at your own risk” policy: “We dont know who may pop in thats not on the lineup. If someone does come in that you dont want to see, you are free to leave: no questions asked and check completely on the house. Having said that, we dont expect Louis back anytime soon.” Dworman said that less than a month ago.
Not everyone was upset to see C.K. onstage. According to multiple outlets with access to audio of the evening, C.K. was greeted with a mixture of boos, gasps, applause, and cheers. But another pointed critique of his August performance was that C.K. didnt address his admitted sexual misconduct or engage with it in any way. According to the Page Six source, C.K. was once again mum on the topic: “He didnt address [the #MeToo allegations against him]. He was a little arrogant . . . he made some comment like, Ive been off for a while, cause everyone needs a break.”
C.K. wasnt the only long-absent comedian out and about in New York this weekend. According to one Instagram post, Aziz Ansari was also spotted at the Comedy Cellar and theres footage of the comedian warmly greeting Kanye West backstage at S.N.L. on Saturday. (Ansari has denied any wrongdoing.) Given the green sweatshirt on West, that interaction appears to have taken place before the musicians impromptu pro-Trump rant, but only a little over a month since Ansari began selling out shows again and mounting his own comedy comeback.
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Joanna RobinsonJoanna Robinson is a Hollywood writer covering TV and film for VanityFair.com.
