Louis C.K. Releases A Statement: ‘These Stories Are True’

Louis C.K. has released a statement admitting that the allegations made against him in the New York Times yesterday, in which five women discussed encounters during which C.K. masturbated in front of them or over the phone, are true.

These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick 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 dick 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.

He also addressed the reasons these women didn’t come forward before, or were silenced if they did.

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.

As many on Twitter have quickly noticed, nowhere in the statement does C.K. actually use the words “sorry” or “apologize.”

And others noted that it’s cold comfort when a statement of apology comes only when someone gets caught.

Following yesterday’s New York Times exposé, consequences have been swift. Indie distributor The Orchard cancelled distribution of C.K.’s new film I Love You, Daddy, and HBO and Netflix both cut ties with the comedian.