Comic Louis C.K. is the latest artist to be ensnared in allegations of sexual misconduct, joining a growing list of Hollywood power players including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner and James Toback, among others.
Rumors of inappropriate behavior have dogged C.K., star of multiple comedy specials and the TV show Louie, for years. On Thursday, five women went on the record to accuse the Emmy-winning comedian of inappropriate sexual behavior, according to an investigation published in the New York Times.
Hours ahead of the report’s publication, Thursday’s New York premiere of C.K.’s film I Love You, Daddy was canceled, as was his scheduled appearance on CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Actresses and comedians Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Abby Schachner, Rebecca Corry and a fifth woman who remained anonymous shared their stories in the New York Times’ Weinstein-style expose. Each of the women, several of whom once looked up to C.K., alleged incidents of him masturbating — or requesting to — in front of them.
Goodman and Wolov alleged that C.K. masturbated in front of the two of them in an Aspen hotel room in 2002, but said they did not report the incident to the police because they weren’t sure if the behavior was criminal. They felt the need to respond in some way “because something crazy happened to us,” Goodman told the newspaper.
The women’s stories were corroborated by friends and family members who spoke to the New York Times about the allegations.
When stories of alleged misconduct went public over the last few years, C.K. dismissed them as “rumors.”