The set, which was leaked online and can be heard below, is full of the familiar "bits" C.K. has been working out at the Comedy Cellar, including talk about losing $35 million USD in one year. Then he decided to go in on some of society's more disadvantaged people:
In a lengthy rant, he somehow went in on both nonbinary youth and the survivors of the Parkland school shooting at the same time:
I'm a little disappointed in the younger generation, honestly. Because I'm 51 years old, and when I was like 18 to my 20s, we were idiots. We were getting high, doing fucking mushrooms and shit, and older people were like, "You gotta get your shit together," and we were like, "Eh, fuck you!" And I was kind of excited to be in my 50s and see people in their 20s and be like, "They're crazy! These kids are nuts!" But they're not. They're fucking neeeeh. They're just boring, fucking telling, "You shouldn't say that!" What are you, an old lady? What the fuck are you doing? "Neeeeh, that's not appropriate!" Fuck you, you're a child! … They're like royalty. They tell you what to call them: "You should address me as 'they/them' because I identify as gender-neutral." Okay. You should address me as "there" because I identify as a location, and the location is your mother's cunt … They testify in front of Congress, these kids? What the fuck? What are you doing? You're young, you should be crazy, you should be unhinged! Not in a suit saying "I'm here to tell you…" Fuck you, you're not interesting cause you went to a high school where kids got shot. Why does that mean I have to listen to you? How does that make you interesting? You didn't get shot, you pushed some fat kid in the way, and now I gotta listen to you talking?
The set also includes a lengthy defence of the word "retarded." If you want to try to stomach it, you can listen here:
As could be expected, the set hasn't entirely gone over too well with the comedy community. Read some reactions to the leaked audio below.
This hacky, unfunny, shallow routine is just a symptom of how people are afraid to feel empathy. It's much easier to laugh at our most vulnerable than to look at their pain directly & show them love and concern. Louis CK is all fear and bitterness now. He can't look inward. https://t.co/aQVG0rk87y
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) December 31, 2018
So Louis was recorded at a club without his consent omg this is my first joke of 2019 This year's gonna be a doozy!
— Laurie Kilmartin (@anylaurie16) December 31, 2018
And whenever a comedian defiantly does bigoted bits, the jokes aren't even good. Chappelle is a GOD to me, and I love mostly everything he does, but those trans bits were comedically beneath him, bc he's shat out better material. Same with Louis. Nothing good or illuminating.
— Rae Sanni (@raesanni) December 31, 2018
despite his vow, about a year ago, to "step back and take a long time to listen," seems like he views his (entirely self-inflicted) downfall as license to now behave however he wants.
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) December 31, 2018
"I'm saying, Come on, the global warming thing? How did the ice melt during the ice ages? Was the dinosaurs driving SUVs around back then?" pic.twitter.com/eL4h1Y316L
— Paul F. Tompkins (@PFTompkins) December 31, 2018
Kevin Spacey: I want to end 2018 with the most disgusting comeback attempt of the year
— Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) December 31, 2018
Louis CK: Hold my penis
