Louis C.K. has announced that he will be launching a nationwide tour starting with two nights at Madison Square Garden August 13 and 14. The announcement has come with mixed opinions on if he should return and what the audience response might be. Launching in NYC, giving Louis C.K. his home field advantage, will give him a good barometric read on what he’s to expect for his following appearances.
He addressed an email to his fans and followers beginning with, “Hello Person that you are being right now. I am writing to you today because I am going to be touring around the United States of America, performing stand-up comedy in theaters in several different cities.” Speaking of the pandemic still being a concern, Covid “is still a factor around the country and world,” C.K. notes, “We will see how this goes. Our intention is to do every show we can do. We will comply with the local governments of each city in terms of health standards and practices. Like everyone else, we will just do our best under the circumstances.” The award-winning comedian, actor, writer and producer concludes, “I’m really looking forward to seeing your faces as I tell some rather impolite jokes and stories.”
His 2020 tour was canceled due to the pandemic, but he’s headed back to the circuit with protections in place, hitting 30 cities for 50 shows. Along the way, he’ll hit Syracuse, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Spokane, San Diego, Long Beach, Stockton, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago, among others. His European tour will follow.
Following the allegations of sexual misconduct, C.K. posted a special on his website opening with, “How was your last couple of years? How was 2018 and 2019 for you guys? Anybody else get in global amounts of trouble?” he asked the crowd. “I learned a lot. I learned how to eat alone in a restaurant with people giving me the finger from across the room.” While making light of the the backlash, there was quite a bit of fallout besides getting flipped off. It resulted in widespread criticism and caused his 2017 film I Love You, Daddy to be pulled from distribution prior to its release, a halt in his stand-up career, and many significant professional repercussions. It has also prompted many comedians cut ties with comedy icon.
He seemed to realize that his audience needed to hear something more and directly about accountability and he finally released a statement explaining, “These stories are true,” CK said at the time. “Back then I thought what I was doing was right because I never showed my (—-) to a woman without asking first, which is also true.”
He continued, “But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to watch your dk isn’t a question. It is a difficult situation for them. The power I had over these women was that they admired me. And I have exercised this power irresponsibly.”
In a perfect world, the women who suffered C.K.’s behavior have healed, he’s truly learned how his powers cuts both ways, and fellow humans can learn from his example and not take his path. Variety was the first to break this news.