Late last year, long-rumoured allegations of sexual misconduct from Louis C.K. were published in an exposé that included statements from five women. Since then, the comedian has mostly laid low but recent rumblings have suggested he's planning a comeback. Now, one of his accusers Rebecca Corry has spoken out about her own experience in the aftermath of the scandal.
Corry has written a revelatory new op-ed for Vulture entitled "Louis C.K. Put Me in a Lose-Lose Situation." In the piece, she said that the entire ordeal has been exhausting.
"Since speaking out, I've experienced vicious and swift backlash from women and men, in and out of the comedy community," she wrote. "I've received death threats, been berated, judged, ridiculed, dismissed, shamed, and attacked."
She added that a number of people have belittled C.K.'s actions:
Some have said, "He just asked to jerk off in front of you, what's the big deal?" And I can't count how many times people have told me, "Well, he did say sorry." But he didn't. Admitting what you did, and justifying it with "I always asked first," is not the same as apologizing.
Further, she detailed the hypocrisy she's experienced from members of the Time's Up movement:
It's also been heartbreaking to see people I liked and respected lie and defend him. Two close friends I'd trusted and confided in for years, who were at the taping when it happened, refused to corroborate what happened to me in the New York Times using their names. Other friends simply stopped communicating with me. These are the same people I had seen on social media, proudly wearing pussy hats and Time's Up pins at the Women's March. Speaking out feels like standing in front of the world naked under fluorescent lights on a really bad day. I knew making myself so vulnerable would bring scrutiny from the outside, but my personal life has also been damaged by my decision to tell the truth.
She also made a poignant statement about those who are curious about C.K.'s potential return:
Now I'm being asked if I think C.K. will make a "comeback." The idea that C.K. reentering the public eye would ever be considered a "comeback" story is disturbing. The guy exploited his position of power to abuse women. A "comeback" implies he's the underdog and victim, and he is neither. C.K. is a rich, powerful man who was fully aware that his actions were wrong. Yet he chose to behave grotesquely simply because he could. The only issue that matters is whether he will choose to stop abusing women. The Time's Up and #MeToo movements, and the journalists who cover them, would do well to focus on the people struggling in the aftermath, and less on the celebrities attaching themselves to the movement and salacious clickbait details. Everyone deserves to do their job without fear of being forced into an impossible situation. And no one should ever be attacked or judged for standing up for themselves.
The full piece can be read here.
Corry has written a revelatory new op-ed for Vulture entitled "Louis C.K. Put Me in a Lose-Lose Situation." In the piece, she said that the entire ordeal has been exhausting.
"Since speaking out, I've experienced vicious and swift backlash from women and men, in and out of the comedy community," she wrote. "I've received death threats, been berated, judged, ridiculed, dismissed, shamed, and attacked."
She added that a number of people have belittled C.K.'s actions:
Some have said, "He just asked to jerk off in front of you, what's the big deal?" And I can't count how many times people have told me, "Well, he did say sorry." But he didn't. Admitting what you did, and justifying it with "I always asked first," is not the same as apologizing.
Further, she detailed the hypocrisy she's experienced from members of the Time's Up movement:
It's also been heartbreaking to see people I liked and respected lie and defend him. Two close friends I'd trusted and confided in for years, who were at the taping when it happened, refused to corroborate what happened to me in the New York Times using their names. Other friends simply stopped communicating with me. These are the same people I had seen on social media, proudly wearing pussy hats and Time's Up pins at the Women's March. Speaking out feels like standing in front of the world naked under fluorescent lights on a really bad day. I knew making myself so vulnerable would bring scrutiny from the outside, but my personal life has also been damaged by my decision to tell the truth.
She also made a poignant statement about those who are curious about C.K.'s potential return:
Now I'm being asked if I think C.K. will make a "comeback." The idea that C.K. reentering the public eye would ever be considered a "comeback" story is disturbing. The guy exploited his position of power to abuse women. A "comeback" implies he's the underdog and victim, and he is neither. C.K. is a rich, powerful man who was fully aware that his actions were wrong. Yet he chose to behave grotesquely simply because he could. The only issue that matters is whether he will choose to stop abusing women. The Time's Up and #MeToo movements, and the journalists who cover them, would do well to focus on the people struggling in the aftermath, and less on the celebrities attaching themselves to the movement and salacious clickbait details. Everyone deserves to do their job without fear of being forced into an impossible situation. And no one should ever be attacked or judged for standing up for themselves.
The full piece can be read here.
