Comedian Louis C.K. was greeted with a standing ovation as he took the stage at a New York City comedy club, the first time the disgraced comedian performed since admitting to sexual misconduct.
C.K. performed a 15-minute set Sunday at the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, the New York Times reports. The owner of the club told the newspaper that, in a video of the performance, C.K. appeared “very relaxed” on stage and the audience gave him a standing ovation.
It was a quiet return to public life for C.K., who has been keeping a low profile since last November when five women accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour that included the celebrity exposing his genitals to the women.
C.K. later apologized for his behaviour and admitted “these stories are true.”
“The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly,” C.K. said in a statement last year. “I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”
Whether C.K. spent enough time out of the public eye is up for debate. New York-based comedian Sarah Lazarus wrote on Twitter “I’m still on the same shampoo bottle as when louis ck’s time out started.”
Others suggested that C.K. consider taking more time off stage.
“Louis CK, once one of my favorite comedians, joked about his privilege and white dudeness on stage while, behind the curtain, using that privilege and white dudeness to sexually harass and harm women and their own careers in comedy. So he can stay in the shed,” wrote author Chuck Wendig on Twitter.
C.K. is one of many high-profile men accused of sexual misconduct in the #MeToo movement. In May, disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was charged with first- and third-degree rape and committing a sexual act in the first degree. Three additional sex assault charges were added in July.
C.K. has not been charged with any crimes.
