Louis C.K. Drops Surprise Comedy Special While We’re Trapped in the Living Room

Thanks to coronavirus quarantine, people are starving for content. We’ve finished Netflix; now Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube are not far behind. Some of us have resorted to daytime television and the weakest among us have actually started reading books. That’s why, typically, if a stand-up comic released a surprise show, many of us would be jumping for joy. The only problem is, the comic in question is Louis C.K. and most of us still don’t know if we’re ready for his comeback.

Louis C.K. is one of the most divisive figures in the history of entertainment. For years, he built an empire based on brutally honest and hilarious observations about himself and the world around him. This brought him worldwide exposure as one of the greatest stand-up comedians of the modern era. He landed television deals, movie rights, and more. Unfortunately, that empire came crumbling down in 2017 when it was revealed that the emperor had no clothes.

Several women alleged that Louis C.K. asked if he could masturbate in front of them or forced them to watch or listen as he did so. It became one of the biggest stories of the #metoo movement and, while what he did wasn’t on par with the Bill Cosbys and Harvey Weinsteins of the world, it was still egregiously inappropriate and predatory. Louis C.K. would actually admit to his sexual misconduct, but the public was not eager to forgive “Lucky Louis.” Evidently, his luck had run out.

The comedian’s movie, I Love You, Daddy (about a celebrity predator and the father of the teen girl he has his eye on) was pulled indefinitely. FX terminated their deal with his production company, ending his immensely popular show, Louie, after five seasons. Louis C.K. was blackballed from many clubs and his reputation has never, and probably will never, fully recover (nor will the women whom he harassed, we suspect). Still, after some time away, he started doing a few surprise shows at his old comedy club stomping grounds and, now, he has released a surprise special entitled Sincerely. The show is just $7.99 and it’s available to stream right now on his website. As somebody who has most certainly had to laugh his way through a lot of tears lately, Louis C.K. knows much about the healing power of laughter.

“I feel like there are two kinds of people in this world,” he said in a press release. “One kind needs to laugh when things get shitty. In fact, the shittier things get, the more serious, the more dark the more terrifying, the more dangerous and dire anything is, the more important it is to laugh in the midst of it and often directly in its face. These people believe it’s no coincidence that human beings have survived despite our fragile hairless bodies, through the most difficult of times and that we are the only species, besides ladybugs, who laugh at life.”

It’s been said that comedy is tragedy plus time, and nobody knows that better than Louis C.K. So in these tragic times, let’s laugh a little. If we can’t laugh with Louis CK, maybe we can at least laugh at him. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

Cover Photo: Jason Merritt / Staff (Getty Images)

Ranked: Our 20 Favorite Stand-Up Comedy Specials of the Last 20 Years

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