Louis CK, fans slammed after he sells out Madison Square Garden: 'Keeps me up at night'
The comedian admitted to sexual misconduct in 2017, his sold out crowd at MSG is said to be evidence 'cancel culture is not real'
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Louis C.K., a widely known comic, came under criticism on Twitter after his return to comedy at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday.
Other entertainers, feminist writers and influencers on the political left brought up the comedian's success in the wake of past sexual misconduct as evidence that, in their view, cancel culture does not exist.
MSNBC columnist Marisa Kabas tweeted, "[L]ouis ck played madison square garden last night. cancel culture is not real."
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Louis C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct against five women in 2017 in a statement to Fox News. He was accused of exposing and pleasuring himself in front of the women, among other things, all of which he claimed were consensual while admitting he took advantage of his power over them "irresponsibly" and subsequently felt "remorseful" for the hurt he caused.
Comedian Louis CK has returned to the public eye and spoke on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan podcast. (Joe Rogan/Spotify screenshot from YouTube)
Some commentators even bashed people who bought tickets to watch Louis C.K.'s comedy show and suggested they were supportive of his past sexual misconduct.
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"It's really not that I don't like Louis CK anymore because he doesn't share my politics these days. It's more that he committed crimes? Sexual crimes? Against others?" Jessica Ellis, a director, tweeted. "Just really got to wonder if there’s any line, any line at all, that some people will draw against people whose products they like to consume."
Jessica Valenti, a feminist writer, quote tweeted Ellis and said, "The amount of replies & quote tweets here about how Louis CK was never arrested for anything is a good reminder that 'acceptable' sexual behavior for men isn't defined by what's moral—but by whatever they can get away with."
She then tweeted an article she wrote last year on the subject and said, "[H]onestly the widespread quibbling about what's ‘legal’ rather than ethical is the kind of shit that keeps me up at night."
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She added, "Here's what really f*cks me up though: Knowing how many of these fans don't like Louis CK *in spite of* what he did, but because of it."
Actor Briggon Snow appeared to advocate for socially ostracizing the comedian's fans.
"So, obviously everybody who went to the Louis CK sold out Madison Square Garden show is not invited to our birthday parties, right?" he wrote.
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In this Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019 photo, Israelis walk past a billboard showing Comedian Louis C.K. in the Israeli city of Holon near Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Talia Lichtstein, a social media influencer, posted a sarcastic video mocking the idea of cancel culture on TikTok where it's gotten 1.8 million views as of publication.
She complained that we need to "stop canceling guys who are such wonderful, brilliant artists" even when they admit to their misdeeds and pay settlements. "They can never reach the same level of success, they can't sell the same number of tickets… Like, literally, we're ruining guys' lives over this," she said while standing in front of a sign for Louis C.K.'s Madison Square Garden show that read "sold out."
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The video was posted on Twitter where it already has an additional 2 million views.
Entrance to Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, New York. (Joan Slatkin/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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While Louis C.K. is facing intense criticism from progressives, he is not a conservative. In a recent appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience", the comedian advocated for open borders and questioned why Americans should have prosperous lives while others in the world are poor.
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"My feeling is they should open it, the border. And just let everybody poor in," he said.
"It shouldn't be so great here, in America," the comedian continued.
He argued Americans should sacrifice their own quality of life in order to establish equality for the rest of the world.