>>LOUIS CK HAS RELEASED A STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE NEW YORK
TIMES PIECE THAT DETAILED SEXUAL ABUSE AND MISCONDUCT BY THE
COMEDIAN.
HE SAYS
IN PART --
>>THE FALLOUT FROM THE PIECE IN THE TIMES AND THESE ALLEGATIONS
COMING OUT IS
THAT --
>>ALSO THE ORCHARD HAS ANNOUNCED THEY WILL NOT BE
MOVING FORWARD WITH THE RELEASE OF THE FILM "I LOVE YOU DADDY,"
A SHORT STATEMENT FROM THEM ENDING WITH A THANK YOU.
FIRST I
WANT TO BREAK DOWN A LITTLE ABOUT HIS STATEMENT, WE READ IT
IN PART BUT IF YOU READ THE FULL THING YOU WILL SEE WORDS LIKE
REMORSEFUL, RECONCILE, REGRET, YOU WON'T SEE I'M SORRY OR I
APOLOGIZE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS A RESULT NOT OF HIS OWN REFLECTION ON THE
SITUATION, IT'S A RESULT OF US NOW KNOWING ABOUT THE
ALLEGATIONS THAT THE NEW YORK TIMES PUBLISHED.
IN EARLY
SEPTEMBER THE NEW YORK TIMES ASKED HIM DIRECTLY AT A PRESS
JUNKET ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS, PROBABLY KNOWING FAREWELL THEY
WOULD RELEASE THIS STORY, WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABOUT IT THEN
BEFORE THE HARVEY WEINSTEIN PIECE, BEFORE PUBLIC OPINION HAD
SWAYED, HE SAID IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN A RUMOR YOU MAKE
IT REAL.
WHEN PRESSED FATHER ON THAT HE SAID THEY ARE RUMORS,
THAT'S ALL IT IS.
SO OBVIOUSLY JUST A STRAIGHT UP LIE.
WITH
THAT SAID, I WANT TO TOSS TO YOU GUYS.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE
DISCUSSING -- CHIME IN, GUYS.
I WILL SAY, I WAS TALKING TO
SIMONE BEFORE THE TAPING, I'M HEATED ABOUT THIS.
>>YOU SHOULD BE, THAT'S THE CORRECT RESPONSE.
>>WE WILL HAVE A RANGE OF OPINIONS, THIS COULD GET
INTERESTING.
HERE IS WHAT I NEED CLARIFICATION ON, GRACE.
TO WHAT
DEGREE DID HE HAVE POWER OVER THESE FIVE DIFFERENT WOMEN?
>>IN THE LATE 1990S THERE WAS AN ANONYMOUS WOMAN WHO WAS WORKING
ON A SHOW OF WHICH HE WAS A PRODUCER AND WRITER, SHE WAS
WORKING IN PRODUCTION, AND IN 2002 PERFORMERS AT A COMEDY ARTS
FESTIVAL, THEY REFERRED TO COMING ONTO THIS FESTIVAL AS
THEIR BIG BREAK, LOUIS CK WAS TOP BILLED AT THE FESTIVAL, NOT
THEIR BOSS NECESSARILY BUT HAS MORE POWER IN THAT SITUATION.
IN
2003 AND UP-AND-COMING COMEDIAN CALLED LOUIS TO INVITE HIM TO A
GIG, HE RESPONDED TO THAT BY MASTURBATING OVER THE PHONE
WHILE TALKING TO HER.
AND IN 2005 REBECCA CORRY WAS ON A
PILOT, LOUIS CK WAS THE GUEST STAR ON THE PILOT WHEN HE ASKED
HER IF HE COULD MASTURBATE IN FRONT OF HER.
>>I HAVE A RANGE OF OPINIONS ON THOSE THINGS, WE ARE ALL HERE,
WE ARE ALL DISCUSSING IT.
FIRST, ONE THING I LIKED WAS HIS FLAT
OUT ADMISSION AT THIS POINT, WHICH IS USUALLY HALF MEASURES
-- HARVEY WEINSTEIN, IF I DID ANYTHING, FINE, I FEEL BAD ABOUT
THAT, BUT I'M NOW GOING TO FIGHT THE NRA, WHICH IS RANDOM AND A
HORRIBLE NON-APOLOGY.
ROGER AILES, BILL O'REILLY, THE WORST
OF THE WORST IN TERMS OF NOT ADMITTING IT, ETC., HE JUST
COMES OUT AND SAYS I DID IT.
THAT WAS A TINY BIT REFRESHING.
ON THE OTHER HAND GRACE IS RIGHT, HE WAS CAUGHT, HE NEVER
SAID HE DID IT BEFORE HE WAS CAUGHT.
UNLIKE BILL CLINTON HE
DIDN'T GO AROUND SMEARING ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ACCUSED HIM OF
IT, THAT'S ANOTHER BIG DIFFERENCE, BUT HIS MANAGER,
ACCORDING TO SOME OF THE CHARGES, TRIED TO DISSUADE
PEOPLE FROM COMING FORWARD.
THAT IS BAD.
>>AND WHEN WE SAY HIS
MANAGER, IT'S PERHAPS THE MOST POWERFUL MANAGER IN THE COMEDY
WORLD, WHICH IS VERY INSULAR, THEY PROTECT THEIR OWN.
SO IT'S
NOT JUST ANY MANAGER, DAVE BECKY REPRESENTS AZIZ ANSARI, AMY
POEHLER, HE WAS A POWERFUL MAN REPRESENTED BY AN EQUALLY
POWERFUL MAN IN HOLLYWOOD.
>>I WANT TO BE CLEAR BECEAUSE NOW
EVERY NEW REVELATION GETS PUT IN THE SAME SENTENCE AS WEINSTEIN
AND COSBY AND ALMOST GUYS, BUT I DON'T THINK THIS BELONGS IN THAT
CATEGORY.NET IT SEEMS LIKE THE ONLY ONE HE DIDN'T ASK FOR
CONSENT ON WAS THE ONE ON THE PHONE.
I THINK IT'S A NORMALLY
IMPORTANT THAT HE ASKED FOR CONSENT AND THE OTHER ONES.
DID
HE ABUSE A POSITION OF POWER?
THE ANSWER SEEMS TO BECOME A
KIND OF.
NONE OF THESE WOMEN DIRECTLY WORKED FOR HIM, AND
THAT'S NOT THE COMPLETE, BLANKET EXCUSE, HE HAD MORE POWER THAN
SOME OF THEM IN SOME OF THE PLACES WHERE THEY WORKED, THAT
IS RELEVANT, BUT IF YOU JUST GET INTO LOUIS CK IS A POWERFUL GUY
AND HENCE BY DEFINITION EVEN ASKING FOR CONSENT AND THE
MAKING OF WOMAN UNCOMFORTABLE IN A SITUATION WHERE THERE IS A
MISUNDERSTANDING OR WHATEVER, TO ME THAT'S NOT A CRIME AT ALL,
THAT'S NOTHING.
SO WHEN THEY WORK TOGETHER IT'S A DIFFERENT
AND COMPLICATED DYNAMIC.
THAT'S MY TAKE.
>>BUT HE EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED THAT JUST HIM ASKING FOR CONSENT TO
DO THIS IN THAT SITUATION PUTS WOMEN IN A COPPER MINING
POSITION, JUST BECAUSE HE'S LOUIS CK AND THEY ARE NOT.
>>I HEAR YOU, BUT LET'S DRAW THE LINES HERE, THIS IS JUST OUR
OPINIONS -- IS HE SO POWERFUL THAT HE'S NOT ALLOWED TO ASK TO
HAVE ANY KIND OF SEXUAL RELATION WITH ANYONE?
THAT'S CRAZY, THAT
CAN'T BE THE STANDARD.
>>THEN WHY DID HE ADDRESS IT IN HIS STATEMENT?
WHY DID HE SAY
THAT I KNEW THAT I HAD POWER OVER THESE WOMEN WHO ADMIRED ME
AND I WIELDED THAT POWER IRRESPONSIBLY?
HE HIMSELF SAYS
THAT WAS A RESPONSIBLE.
I DON'T DISAGREE THAT POWERFUL PEOPLE
CAN HAVE SEX WITH LESS POWERFUL PEOPLE AND THERE CAN BE CONSENT
INVOLVED, BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND
CONTEXTS FOR EACH INCIDENT.
AND HE SAID AS MUCH, HE SAID IT WAS A RESPONSIBLE.
>>AND THINK ABOUT TIME AND PLACE FOR CONSENT.
I FEEL WEIRD
EVEN USING, HEY, IS IT OKAY IF I WHIP MY DICK OUT, AND IT'S LOUIS
CK, ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN 21ST-CENTURY COMEDY --
>>THAT ISN'T FOREPLAY.
>>HE ASKS REBECCA CORRY, CAN I MASTURBATE IN FRONT OF YOU?
AND
SHE SAYS YOU HAVE A PREGNANT WIFE, SO NO, AND HE SAYS I'M
SORRY, I HAVE ISSUES.
HE KNOWS IT'S WRONG, HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
HIS BEHAVIOR IS WRONG.
HE KNOWS THAT'S NOT THE TIME OR PLACE TO ASK FOR CONSENT IF
YOU CAN MASTURBATE, AT A PLACE OF WORK.
>>I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO MISUNDERSTAND COME IN THAT
SCENARIO I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU.
IN THAT SCENARIO HE IS
CLEARLY IN A POSITION OF POWER ON THE SAME SHOW THEY ARE
WORKING ON, AND HE PUTS HER IN AN AWKWARD, UNTENABLE SITUATION
AND IT'S NOT FAIR TO HER.
THAT IS WHY I'M TRYING TO DELINEATE
BETWEEN THE CASES.
IN ANOTHER CASE HE'S A STAFF WRITER, HE'S
NOT THE LEGENDARY LOUIS CK YET, IT'S 14 YEARS AGO.
IN ONE CASE
HE HAS A BIGGER BILLING ON THE SAME COMEDY SHOW THEY ARE IN --
OKAY, I GUESS YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE MORE
CAREFUL IN THAT SITUATION, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE I DEFINITELY
CONTROL THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE AND IF YOU DON'T DO THIS YOU
WILL BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.
IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC.
I
THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE THOSE DISTINCTIONS, OTHERWISE
ANY INFRACTION GETS YOU PUT IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS WEINSTEIN
AND AILES AND COSBY, I DON'T THINK THAT'S RIGHT EITHER.
>>YOU DON'T THINK LOUIS CK BELONGS IN THE CATEGORY WITH
THOSE MEN?
>>DEFINITELY NOT.
WEINSTEIN AND BRETT RATNER, VERY SIMILAR
SCENARIO, EXCEPT ONE ANONYMOUS DIFFERENCE, RATNER SAYS TO
OLIVIA MUNN -- HE DOESN'T ASK HER, HE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING,
SHE WORKS FOR HIM ON A SET WHERE HE'S THE DIRECTOR, SHE WALKS IN
AT THE TIME INTO HIS TRAILER AND IMMEDIATELY HE MASTURBATES IN
FRONT OF HER, NO CONSENT ASKED, CLEARLY THE BOSS, THAT'S 100%
GUILTY.
AILES, THEY WORK FOR HIM, O'REILLY, THEY WORK FOR
HIM, AND O'REILLY, NONCONSENSUAL MASTURBATION.
AND HARVEY
WEINSTEIN, ASKS FOR SEX, SHE SAYS NO, IN A SITUATION WHERE HE
HAS HER CORNERED IN A LITTLE REMOTE AREA OF A RESTAURANT
WHERE THERE'S NOBODY ELSE AROUND, SHE SAYS NO AND HE SAYS
THEN SHUT UP AND STAND THERE WHILE HE MASTURBATES.
CLEARLY
NONCONSENSUAL -- IF WE CAN'T SAY THAT THAT IS WORSE, I'M AFRAID
WE ARE GOING TO THEN MAKE THOSE CRIMES -- IT DIMINISHES THOSE
CRIMES, THOSE CRIMES ARE REALLY, REALLY BAD.
>>I HEAR YOU, I JUST DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE QUALIFYING, WHEN IT
COMES TO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IT FEELS WRONG TO SAY WELL HE ONLY
DID THIS, BECAUSE THEN WE ARE SORT OF ALLOWING HIM TO PERHAPS
ENTER INTO THIS SPACE.
SIMONE AND I ALSO TALKED ABOUT THIS
BEFORE WE WENT TO TAPE, HOW MANY YEARS BEFORE WE FORGIVE HIM AND
HE PUTS OUT A NETFLIX SPECIAL THAT'S CALLED I'M SORRY OR I
MESSED UP?
IF YOU DO THIS AT ANY JOB YOU ARE FIRED.
HE'S PROVEN
THAT WHEN GIVEN A POSITION OF POWER HE WILL ABUSE THAT.
YOU
WERE TALKING ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS BEFORE, HE WAS JUST
A STAFF WRITER, BUT THEN HE BECOMES MORE POWERFUL AND GETS
MORE BOLD WITH HIS ACTIONS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU SO YOU DON'T
WANT TO DIMINISH THE OTHER ACCUSATIONS, BUT I DON'T THINK
WE ARE DOING THAT BY JUST CALLING OUT THE VERY BAD
BEHAVIOR OF LOUIS CK, I DON'T THINK THAT DIMINISHES THE OTHER
WOMEN WHO HAVE COME FORWARD IN THE CASE OF WEINSTEIN OR BRETT
RATNER.
LET'S TREAT EACH CASE AS AN INDIVIDUAL, LOUIS CK FUCKED
UP, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CALL HIM OUT FOR THAT AND HE
SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY I'M SORRY OR I APOLOGIZE IN HIS
STUPID STATEMENT.
>>I WILL LEAVE THE RANKING OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND SEX CRIMES
UP TO THE VICTIMS, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS
STATEMENT.
HE HAS THIS FILM COMING OUT, "I LOVE YOU DADDY,"
HE WROTE AND DIRECTED THE FILM, EVEN WROTE A CHARACTER INTO THE
FILM THAT MASTURBATES OR PRETENDS TO MASTURBATE IN FRONT
OF PEOPLE, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
AND THEY SAY THIS IS VERY FAMILIAR BEHAVIOR, THIS IS
PRETTY REMINISCENT OF THE RUMORS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING AROUND
ABOUT LOUIS CK FOR YEARS.
HE SPOKE TO THE NEW YORK TIMES IN
SEPTEMBER AND WHEN THEY BROUGHT UP THE ALLEGATIONS HE SAID THOSE
ARE JUST RUMORS, AS YOU READ IN THAT STATEMENT.
AND NOW A COUPLE
MONTHS LATER HE COMES OUT AFTER THE TIMES PUBLISHES THIS
INVESTIGATION AND THESE REPORTS, NOW HE'S SAYING -- HE'S GOT THIS
LONG, REMORSEFUL APOLOGY, AND THIS VERY IN-DEPTH STATEMENT.
BEFORE I SET FOOT IN THIS SET I THINK I HAD A MORE OPEN MINDED
APPROACH TO HIS APOLOGY, AND I WANTED TO SAY WOW, IF SOMEONE IS
GOING TO COME FORWARD AND SAY YES I ADMITTED TO ALL THIS, WHAT
I DID WAS WRONG, THEN WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE STATEMENTS LIKE THAT
SO THAT OTHER ABUSERS FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING FORWARD
BEFORE THEY ARE CAUGHT.
I DON'T KNOW IF LOUIS CK WOULD HAVE DONE
THIS IF HE HADN'T BEEN CAUGHT.
BUT I JUST QUESTION THE TIMING
OF THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE HE WAS MORE WILLING TO PROFIT OFF
OF HIS VICTIMS AND THEIR STORIES THAN HE WAS WILLING TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THOSE STORIES ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
HE ONLY DID
THAT WHEN HE WAS CAUGHT RED-HANDED.
>>I THINK LAST QUESTION, IF THERE WAS NO DYNAMIC WHERE THEY
WERE WORKING TOGETHER, LET'S SAY IT'S A FAN AND HE ASKS CAN I
MASTURBATE IN FRONT OF YOU, IT'S DEEPLY UNCOMFORTABLE, OKAY, YOU
CAN SAY IT'S QUOTE UNQUOTE WRONG -- IS THAT A PROBLEM?
IS HE THEN
IN TROUBLE, DOES HE HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THAT?
BECAUSE HE'S
WAY MORE POWERFUL THAN THE FAN.
>>IT'S A GOOD QUESTION, I THINK IT COMES DOWN TO TIME AND PLACE
AND CONSENT, IF IT WAS A FAN WHERE I REALLY WANTED TO HOOK UP
WITH LOUIS CK THAT NIGHT -- BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE HEAR FROM
THIS WOMEN, IT WAS, THEY ADMIRED THIS COMEDIAN, HE SAID HE WANTED
TO SPEND TIME WITH THEM, OR SHE FELT SO MOVED THAT SHE COULD
CALL HIM UP AND INVITE HIM TO A SHOW, AND HE STARTS MASTURBATING
OVER THE PHONE.
IT'S A QUESTION THAT IS HYPOTHETICAL BECAUSE WE
DON'T KNOW, THE WOMEN WHO HAVE COME FORWARD WERE ONES WHO
SOMEHOW WORKED WITH HIM THAT WERE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SPACE,
AND ESPECIALLY IN THE WORLD OF COMEDY THAT CAN BE PRETTY BROAD,
THAT'S THE DYNAMIC WE ARE DEALING WITH IN THE ACCOUNTS
THAT CAME FORWARD.
>>YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A WOMAN ALONE
AND A ROOM WITH A POWERFUL MAN.
THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING YOU WILL
NEVER UNDERSTAND.
BUT I THINK YOU SAW THAT WITH WEINSTEIN'S
ACCUSERS, HE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION OF THEM, AND A LOT OF
TIMES THEY FELT UNSAFE.
THEY FELT LIKE IF I SAY NO TO THIS
MAN WHO IS BIGGER THAN ME, WHO CAN OVERPOWER ME, I DON'T KNOW
THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO GET MYSELF OUT OF THE SITUATION.
I'M
NOT GIVING YOU A YES OR NO TO THAT ANSWER, I'M JUST
SAYING SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS.
>>I UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THESE TOUGH, SOMETIMES
AWKWARD AND UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS.
>>BUT NECESSARY CONVERSATIONS.
>>SO THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WOMAN IN THAT TOUGH SITUATION IS
IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO HEAR, BUT I'M ALSO TELLING YOU THAT
FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF A GUY, IF YOU SAY A GUY IS JUST TOO
POWERFUL AND HE CAN NO LONGER ASK FOR ANY SEXUAL ACT, OR IF HE
MISREADS A SITUATION AND THERE IS A MISCOMMUNICATION THEN HE'S
GUILTY BECAUSE HE'S MORE POWERFUL?
YOU WILL HAVE A REVOLT
IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AND GUYS WILL SAY NO WAY I'M NOT BUYING ANY OF
THIS.
>>I HEAR THAT.
I WONDER IF THERE IS NO EASY ANSWER TO THAT
QUESTION.
I THINK I'M JUST WILLING
TO LEAVE IT THERE.