Louis C.K. has been accused of sexual misconduct, including masturbating in front of several women without their consent, according to a report published Thursday by The New York Times. The allegations from fellow comedians Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, and Rebecca Correy confirmed persistent rumors of C.K.’s behavior on the eve of the premier of his new movie I Love You, Daddy. C.K. is arguably the most powerful comedian in entertainment.
According to the Times reporting, C.K.’s behavior—which closely mirrors the content of his standup routines and his upcoming film—dates back as far as the 1990s, when he was working as a writer and producer on The Chris Rock Show. While working on the program, according to an anonymous Times source, C.K. repeatedly asked a co-worker to watch him masturbate. “It was something that I knew was wrong,” said the woman, who ultimately conceded to C.K.’s obscene advances. “I think the big piece of why I said yes was because of the culture.”
The anonymous description lines up with an account of Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov, a comedy duo who met C.K. at a festival in Aspen, Colo. in 2002. C.K. invited the two women back to his hotel room for a nightcap after the bars had closed. “As soon as they sat down in his room, still wrapped in their winter jackets and hats, Louis C.K. asked if he could take out his penis,” reports the Times.
“He proceeded to take all of his clothes off, and get completely naked, and started masturbating,” says Goodman.
The comedian also asked Rebecca Corry, who according to the Times appeared with C.K. on a pilot in 2005, to watch him masturbate. She declined C.K.’s advances. C.K. reportedly shot a pilot for HBO in 2005, before the cable network ultimately ran his show Lucky Louie in 2006–2007. After Lucky Louie, C.K. went on to achieve fame via hour-long standup specials aired on HBO. Corry’s acting credits do not list a pilot in 2005, nor does she appear in the credits for Lucky Louie, though pilot work often goes uncredited.
A fifth woman, Abby Schachner, says that she heard C.K. masturbating over the phone in 2003 when she called him with an invitation to one of her comedy shows. According to the Times, C.K. moved the conversation away from professional talk, as he allegedly pleasured himself over a span of several minutes. “I definitely wasn’t encouraging it.” said Schachner. “You want to believe it’s not happening.” C.K. later reached out to Schachner in 2009 to apologize via a Facebook message. The incident made its mark, however, ultimately discouraging Schachner from working in comedy.
C.K. has been silent since the allegations have come to light, refusing to answer the Times questions. The premiere of I Love You, Daddy, as well as a planned appearance by C.K. on The Late Show, were cancelled Thursday before the publication of the Times‘ story. A C.K. spokesperson tells Fortune that the comedian will issue a written statement in coming days.
This story has been updated with a response from C.K.’s spokesperson.
