Viewers think Louis CK’s new comedy special is proof that ‘cancel culture isn’t real’

Louis CK is releasing a new comedy special and advertising it on NBC, leading many social media users to argue that “cancel culture” is a “myth”.

An advert for the comedian’s new show, Sorry, was broadcast during Saturday Night Live at the weekend.

To the soundtrack of The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie”, the promo shows the comedian performing his act in front of large letters that spell out the word “SORRY”.

He is heard saying in one of his jokes: “Are you picturing it? It’s good. It’s really good, nobody gets pregnant.”

The show was filmed this summer at Madison Square Garden in New York and is available to watch on the comic’s website.

It comes four years after The New York Times published an exposé including accusations from multiple women that CK exposed himself and masturbated in front of them. CK later admitted the sexual misconduct.

“These stories are true,” he said in a statement in November 2017. “At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my d*** without asking first, which is also true.

“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. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.”

The new promo has caused anger on social media, with many arguing that cancel culture can’t be “real” if CK is continuing to do high profile work after admitting to sexual misconduct.

“So Louis CK has a new special out, Sorry, that he is selling online,” wrote one detractor. “An ad ran during SNL… quit whining about cancel culture, because it’s a myth.”

Another tweeted: “With Louis CK dropping a new special called Sorry of all things & Dave Chappelle doubling down on his bigotry in three successful Netflix specials, I’m starting to think that cancel culture is just a right-wing bogeyman intended to shut down discussion & prevent accountability.”

A third joked: “Devastated to hear that disgraceful cancel culture has once again forced Louis CK to release a new stand up special.”

In 2020, CK released a new stand-up special in which he made light of the sexual misconduct allegations made against him.

He said: “I like jerking off, I don’t like being alone, that’s all I can tell you. I get lonely, it’s just sad. I like company. I like to share. I’m good at it, too. If you’re good at juggling, you wouldn’t do it alone in the dark. You’d gather folks and amaze them.”