Louis CK won a Grammy for best comedy album on Sunday, his first nomination since being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017 by multiple women.
He won the award for ‘Sincerely, Louis CK,’ his first post-scandal comedy special.
CK, however, was conspicuously absent from the festivities, with host LaVar Burton forced to accept the award in his absence – an awkward scene caught on the award show’s broadcast.
The odd moment added to an already beleaguered Grammys, which had already seen Kanye banned from performing, a boycott from The Weeknd and Drake withdrawing his nominations.
In 2017, a New York Times report uncovered troublesome and long-simmering rumors about Louis CK’s behavior – with at least five women sharing stories of sexual misconduct by the previously celebrated comedian.
Among them were comedians Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Abby Schachner, Rebecca Corry and an anonymous fifth source, who told the Times that the comedian had masturbated in front of them without their consent.
CK eventually responded with a statement in which he admitted the allegations were true.
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Host LaVar Burton was forced to accept Louis CK’s Grammy in his absence – an awkward moment caught on the award show’s broadcast
Pictured: the cover for Louis CK’s Grammy-winning comedy album ‘Sincerely, Louis CK’
LeVar Burton speaks onstage during the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Promotional photo from Louis CK’s New (Dec 2021) comedy special ‘SORRY’
The Recording Academy, which organizes the Grammys, previously defended Louis CK’s nomination when news of it was first announced.
‘We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria ,’ Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, Jr. told The Wrap.
‘What we will control is our stages, our shows, our events, our red carpets.’
The award also prompted a wave of backlash on social media Sunday night, with Louis CK trending across multiple platforms.
‘Amazing. Louis CK serially abused women but gets to keep his career and even get a Grammy,’ political strategist Atira Omara tweeted.
‘Cancel culture continues to devastate Louis CK’s career,’ another user sarcastically commented.
Others applauded the comedian for taking the award despite a lack of publicity for the album.
‘It was published through his website for download and streaming with no advance notice,’ tweeted SiriusXM host Eric Alper.
In August, Louis CK kicked off his nationwide comeback tour at Madison Square Garden on Friday and joked about nearly every controversial topic except his own masturbation sex scandal.
The comic had sold out New York City’s Hulu Theater at MSG and performed in front of a sign that read ‘sorry’ but didn’t appear too apologetic when joking about touchy subjects such as 9/11, pedophiles and the obsession with the Covid death toll.
His own sexual misconduct scandal has been plaguing him since 2017 when five female comedians claimed CK had either pleasured himself in front of them, asked to do it, or did so over the phone in the last 15 years.
The once-condemned comic sold out New York City’s Hulu Theater at MSG August 13 and 14 and performed in front of a sign that read ‘sorry’
Comedian Louis CK (pictured) kicked off his nationwide tour at Madison Square Garden on Friday and joked about nearly everything controversial except his own masturbation sex scandal
The day after the allegations were made public CK released a lengthy statement admitting the claims were true but that he never showed women his ‘d**k without asking first’.
‘But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d*** isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them,’ he added.
Despite fierce backlash the comic announced his nationwide tour in an email earlier this month.
The email read: ‘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.’
He signed off by saying he was ‘really looking forward to seeing your faces as I tell some rather impolite jokes and stories’.
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