So much for cancel culture..?
The #MeToo movement brought about a wave of so-called cancellations, but there are some big names that drew more attention than others. Harvey Weinstein was perhaps the most infamous, but Louis C.K. was another example that drew a lot of attention and conversation. Back in 2017, after an exposé featuring the testimony of several victims, he admitted to exposing himself and masturbating in front of a number of women (particularly fellow comedians) without their consent. Not only was this a gross violation, he also derailed careers as he kept his disturbing predilection quiet.
Naturally, the world was disgusted. He immediately fell from his perch on top of the world, his movie disappeared, he became a Hollywood pariah. For a while…
On Sunday night, however, the disgraced comic was, well, the opposite of disgraced when he was awarded with the Grammy for Best Comedy Album. The project, Sincerely Louis C.K., came out well after his scandal and even includes jokes about his misconduct. The category wasn’t part of the televised portion of the ceremony, but as the news began circulating on Twitter, there was an immediate backlash.
One user wrote:
“Louis CK just won a Grammy, so I don’t want to hear any more whining about cancel culture. Men can sexually prey on women, the victims can have their careers and confidence destroyed, it can all go public – and there will still be no real consequences.”
Another observed:
“Louis CK just won a f**king grammy for best comedy album. This is beyond disgusting for all victims of SA, but is especially telling of how these revered institutions, in fact, do not give a f**k about victims of violence. They will ALWAYS foster and celebrate violence”
Oof. Too true.
Jen Kirkman — one of the comedians who has come forward about her experience with Louis — shared one of her own jokes on the subject. Def worth a watch:
Elsewhere, a poorly-worded tweet from The Hollywood Reporter also prompted jokes about a “new” Grammy category that feels a little too real:
Many others pointed out the contrast between this dubious win and the controversy from the week before: Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. Will has already resigned from the Academy, with more consequences from the organization likely to follow. Not to mention all his upcoming projects are being shelved as companies distance themselves from him. Quite a few fans were perplexed by the appearance of hypocrisy:
“Louis CK winning a Grammy is some wild shit after all the shit this week. Good googly moogly the hypocrisy”
“Louis CK just won a whole ass Grammy while y’all are either calling for Will Smith’s head or crying about cancel culture. There are no consequences for white cishet men”
“Will Smith is going to end up more punished than Louis CK, you watch.”
While the situations are very different — two separate Academies, and wildly different circumstances — we admit it’s hard to avoid the comparison. The backlash in both cases has highlighted the institutional issues that affect women and people of color, and possibly illuminated the need for serious reform.
By the way, this is the same show that barred Kanye West from performing because of his “concerning online behavior” — though he also did, in fact, win an award that night. Again, these are two different scenarios, but it certainly doesn’t seem clear where the Academy stands on abusive behavior…
Scroll on for some more reactions to Louis’ win:
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