Biden campaign refunds Louis C.K.'s donation: report

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Joe Biden's presidential campaign revealed Wednesday that it decided to refund a donation made by disgraced comedian Louis C.K., according to a report.

The writer/actor, whose real name is Louis Szekely, donated $2,800 on March 4, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records reviewed by The Associated Press. C.K.'s career took a nosedive after five women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017.

The donation was made the day after the former vice president's commanding win in several Super Tuesday contests put him on the path to becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee to take on President Trump in November.

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A Biden campaign spokesman said the contribution has since been refunded, which will be reflected in his next FEC report filed in May. The spokesman declined to comment further when reached by The Associated Press.

Szekely, 52, did not immediately respond to an email on Wednesday requesting comment from The Associated Press, and a publicist who once represented him also did not immediately respond to a message from the outlet.

Pictured: (L-R) Former VP Joe Biden and disgraced comedian Louis C.K.  (Reuters/AP)

The New York Times in 2017 published an investigation in which five women, four of whom spoke on the record, detailed misconduct by the comedian in the late 1990s and the 2000s. Some of the women said he abruptly began masturbating in front of them, according to the reporting. One said he requested to do so, but she refused his request. Another said she could tell he was masturbating while speaking on the phone with her.

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Szekely later said that their stories were true and that he was “remorseful” of his actions, but the fallout was swift. FX Networks quickly dumped him from shows he was part of, Netflix scrapped plans for a stand-up special and the release of his feature film “I Love You, Daddy” was shelved. HBO also removed his work from its on-demand video streaming service.

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Presidential campaigns typically vet donations to their campaigns and often return contributions from figures who could pose a publicity problem.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.