Louis CK Causes Massive Controversy With Grammy Win
Louis CK has back in the spotlight on Sunday, this time causing some controversy with his Grammy Award win for Best Comedy Album.
By Doug Norrie| Published
Getting canceled isn’t all it’s cracked up to be I suppose. A few years after it seemed like Louis CK was going to be cast out of Hollywood because of some disturbing allegations regarding sexual impropriety, the comedian looks like he’s made a full comeback and that has some more than a little miffed. On Sunday, Louis CK won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, and it ignited some online fury. It seems that some believe the comedian shouldn’t be able to make a comeback this soon and that the award’s show failed to take into account some of Louis CK’s past actions.
It was announced at the 64th Grammy Awards that Louis CK had won the award for Best Comedy Album for his work on Sincerely Louis CK. This was the first work from Louis CK since the 2017 sexual misconduct allegations surfaced and apparently, there has been some backlash regarding the win. Some feel that this recognition went against the perceived “canceling” of the comedian and that the win wasn’t appropriate in light of Louis CK’s recent past. In this way, the social media crowd took to the streets to condemn the victory, saying that it never should have happened. Check it out:
Louis CK just won a whole ass Grammy while y’all are either calling for Will Smith’s head or crying about cancel culture. There are no consequences for white cishet men
— Dr. Mia Brett (@QueenMab87) April 3, 2022
I wonder if the careers of the women comedians Louis CK forced to watch him masturbate—who were allegedly threatened by CK’s manager—have recovered from the stigma of coming forward. Louis CK’s own career seems to have bounced back very well.
— Moira Donegan (@MoiraDonegan) April 4, 2022
If you thought Will slapping Chris was the worst thing to happen at an award’s ceremony this year: Louis CK won a Grammy last night.
— David Chipakupaku 🏴🇿🇲 (@David_Chippa) April 4, 2022
In 2017, the New York Times published a story detailing allegations from a number of women that Louis CK had masturbated in front of them. These came from different female comedians who alleged that he had asked to perform the act in their presence. The comedian did not deny these allegations and later did admit to having behaved inappropriately. He attempted an apology along these lines and essentially disappeared from public view for quite some time.
These allegations led to a fairly significant professional fallout for Louis CK. For starters, his movie I Love You, Daddywas removed from theaters and its distribution company, The Orchard, declined to put the film out to the masses. The movie was written, directed by Louis CK and he starred in it as well. Other cast members included Chloe Moretz, Charlie Day, John Malkovich, Edie Falco, Helen Hunt, and Pamela Adlon. In the wake of the controversy the film really never really saw the light of day. He was also let go from other productions and a number of different studios cut ties.
In 2018, a year or so removed from the initial allegations, Louis CK began performing standup again. At the time, he didn’t address the sexual misconduct allegations in his sets, essentially moving past it in his material. And then, in 2020, the comedian released Sincerely Louis CK on his personal website, putting it up for sale to the public.
Louis CK is currently on tour for the first time since 2017 with planned dates over the better part of this year. Considering this latest award win, the sale of the album, and the upcoming standup dates, it would appear the comedian was not canceled in the way some thought he should be. It was probably unrealistic to assume that the comedian would disappear from public view for all time, but some believe that this kind of return and the accolades he’s received fly in the face of the allegations levied his way.
