Sarah Silverman Apologizes After Controversial Louis C.K. Comments Lead To Online Backlash

Comedian Sarah Silverman has issued an apology after her recent comments on Louis C.K.’s masturbation scandal were met with backlash online, including from one of Louis C.K.’s alleged victims.

Louis C.K., who has been accused of masturbating in front of multiple women, has “remorse” for the things he’s done, Silverman stated during an interview with “The Howard Stern Show” on Monday, according to The Guardian. She reportedly also commented that she would like to see him address the situation “on stage,” and revealed that he has masturbated in front of her before, with her consent.

“I’ve known Louis forever, I’m not making excuses for him, so please don’t take this that way,” she said, per The Guardian. “We are peers. We are equals. When we were kids, and he asked if he could masturbate in front of me, sometimes I’d go, ‘F--k yeah, I want to see that.’”

“It’s not analogous to the other women that are talking about what he did to them,” she continued. “He could offer me nothing. We were only just friends. So, sometimes, yeah, I wanted to see it, it was amazing. Sometimes I would say, ‘F--king no, gross,’ and we got pizza.”

Rebecca Corry, an actress and comedian who is one of C.K.'s victims, addressed Silverman’s comments on Twitter on Monday and referred to Louis C.K. as a “predator.”

“To be real clear, CK had ‘nothing to offer me’ as I too was his equal on the set the day he decided to sexually harass me,” she wrote. “He took away a day I worked years for and still has no remorse. He’s a predator who victimized women for decades and lied about it.”

Silverman quickly apologized, writing in her own tweet, “Rebecca I’m sorry. Ugh this is why I don’t like weighing in. I can’t seem to do press 4 my show w/out being asked about it. But you’re right- you were equals and he fucked with you and it’s not ok. I’m sorry, friend. You are so talented and so kind.”

Louis C.K. has flown under the radar following the publication of a New York Times piece in November compiling the stories of five women, including Corry, who claimed to have been sexually harassed by the 51-year-old comedian. He subsequently admitted that the stories were true. However, despite withdrawing from the public eye for a time, he now seems to be in the beginning stages of a comedy comeback, having performed an unannounced set in New York City’s Comedy Cellar to in-house praise and online criticism.

Silverman spoke candidly and at length about Louis C.K.’s situation during her Howard Stern interview, The Guardian reports.

“I’m not saying everyone should embrace Louis again,” she said, according to the outlet. “I believe he has remorse. I just want him to talk about it on stage. He’s going to have to find his way or not find his way.”

“I’m not saying what he did was OK,” she also said. “I’m just saying, at a certain point, when he became influential – not even famous, but influential in the world of comedy – it changes. He felt like he was the same person, but the dynamic was different and it was not OK.”

Silverman is not the only comedian whose comments on Louis C.K. have sparked condemnation online. Comedian Michael Che came to his defense in August, commenting that he believes that “any free person has a right to speak and make a living.”

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