The former 'Louie' actor says that he 'will now step back and take a long time to listen' after five women accused him of sexual misconduct.
- Nov 11, 2017
AceShowbiz - Louis C.K. issued a statement after he was caught up in a sexual harassment scandal. The comedian was accused by five women of exposing himself and masturbating in front of them, and he admitted that "these stories are true."
He said, "At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my d**k without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d**k 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."
"I have been remorseful of my actions," he added. "And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position."
"I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it."
"There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with," he continued. "I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work."
He finally concluded, "I've brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother. I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen."
After the bombshell was dropped, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" called off his appearance and HBO removed him from "Night of Too Many Stars" benefit. His new movie "I Love You, Daddy" which he directed, written and produced was also axed. A homage to Woody Allen, it's about a young girl (Chloe Moretz) who falls for a much older filmmaker (John Malkovich).
