C.K. alerted fans that the special, titled Sincerely Louis C.K., was available for purchase via his website’s email list. Fans can access the special to stream or download through his website for $7.99.
In the email sent out, he wrote about using laughter as a coping mechanism in times of duress.
“I feel like there are two kinds of people in this world. One kind needs to laugh when things get s—ty. In fact, the s—tier 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 [sic] midst of it and often directly in its face,” he wrote. “The other kind of people feel that it’s important to put aside laughter in times of difficulty and give serious And [sic] painful things the respect and the silence due to them.”
He also said: “Anyway, for those who need to laugh, I hope my new show will help. For those of you that can’t laugh right now I just wish you all the peace you can grab in this s–tty s–tty time,” he wrote.
C.K. begins his special by referencing the allegations. “Anybody else get in global amounts of trouble?” he asks the audience. “Wait until they see those pictures of me in black-face,” he jokes.
He also addresses the accusations more directly toward the end of the special. “If you ever ask somebody, ‘May I j–k off in front of you,’ and they say, ‘Yes,’ just say, ‘Are you sure?’ that’s the first part,” he says. “And then, if they say, ‘Yes,’ just don’t f—ing do it.”
In November 2017, The New York Times reported that five women accused C.K. of sexual misconduct. Comedians Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov said that C.K. masturbated in front of them during a 2002 comedy festival after a show. Comedian Rebecca Corry said that he asked her if he could masturbate in front of her while filming a pilot in 2005. Abby Schachner said that she could hear the comic masturbating when she called to invite him to a show in 2003.
The following day, C.K. confirmed the allegations in a statement. “These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was O.K. because I never showed a woman my dk 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 dk isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them,” he wrote.
C.K. or his rep did not immediately respond to Newsweek’s request for comment Saturday.
Some comedians tweeted excitement about C.K.’s return.
Other comics, however, expressed their disapproval of the comedian’s comeback.
