Netflix abandons Louis C.K. comedy special
Calling sexual misconduct allegations about the comedian "disturbing," the streaming-video service scraps plans for his second stand-up special.
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Louis C.K. is the latest in a series of men in the entertainment industry facing allegations of sexual misconduct.
Netflix said Friday it's dropping plans to pursue a second stand-up special with comedian Louis C.K., following a report about claims he engaged in sexual misconduct dating back about two decades.
"The allegations made by several women in The New York Times about Louis C.K.'s behavior are disturbing," a Netflix representative said in a statement Friday. "Louis' unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with female colleagues has led us to decide not to produce a second stand-up special, as had been planned."
Netflix released "Louis C.K. 2017," the first of two planned Louis C.K. specials, in April.
In a statement later Friday, Louis C.K. said "these stories are true."
"I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my actions," he said. "I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen." You can read his full statement here.
The backlash against Louis C.K. is the latest in a string of flare-ups involving high-profile Hollywood figures and allegations of improper sexual conduct. A Times story last month about numerous sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein sparked many women and men to share their own stories using the #MeToo hashtag. Netflix earlier this month severed ties with Kevin Spacey, the star of its groundbreaking original series, "House of Cards," after claims he'd had a sexual relationship with a minor and harassed young men working on his projects.
At Netflix rival Amazon Studios, top executive Roy Price resigned last month after allegations he sexually harassed a female producer.
On Thursday, the Times reported five women's claims that Louis C.K. made inappropriate sexual advances.
Netflix didn't go so far as premium cable network HBO, which on Thursday not only cancelled plans for Louis C.K. to join a televised comedy benefit but also said it would remove his programming from its on-demand services, such as streaming platforms HBO Go and HBO Now.
Other popular streaming platforms didn't immediately respond to messages asking if they planned any action on the comedian's content. Hulu offers five seasons of his FX program "Louie" to stream, and Amazon has a number of comedy specials and other programming with Louis C.K. available on its Prime Video service.
In addition to the hits to Louis C.K.'s projects on streaming platforms, his upcoming film "I Love You, Daddy" won't be released by its distributor, and FX said it was conducting a review in light of the reports.
First published Nov. 10 at 9:55 a.m. PT.
Update at 10:31 a.m. PT: Added selections from Louis C.K.'s statement.
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