FX Says It Received No Harassment Allegations Against Louis C.K.
Following a report that comedian Louis C.K. had behaved improperly with a number of women, FX Networks, which has produced five shows with him, said it had received no allegations against him in the 8 years they have worked together.
In a story in the New York Times, five women accused Louis C.K. of sexual misconduct. Before the story was published, a premiere of his movie I Love You, Daddy was canceled and an appearance on CBS's The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on was postponed.
Afterward, HBO pulled Luckie Louis, a series Louis C.K. starred in, and his comedy specials from its video on demand service. He was also dropped from a special, Night of Too Many Stars, that was set to air Nov. 18
The accusations come at a time when charges of sexual harassment in the entertainment business are being levied at top executives, agents and actors. The wave began with accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein and has led to the departure of Amazon Studios chief Roy Price and the firing of Kevin Spacey from Netflix’s House of Cards.
FX, which airs Louis C.K.’s series Louie issued a statement after the New York Times story ran. It said:
“We are obviously very troubled by the allegations about Louis C.K. published in The New York Times today. The network has received no allegations of misconduct by Louis C.K. related to any of our 5 shows produced together over the past 8 years. FX Networks and FXP take all necessary actions to protect our employees and thoroughly investigate any allegations of misconduct within our workplace. That said, the matter is currently under review.”
There were no signs that FX had severed ties with Louis C.K. and the network would not comment beyond the statement.
Louis C.K. and his spokeman have declined to comment.
FX is part of 21st Century Fox, which also owns Fox News.
Fox News chairman Roger Ailes was removed from his post last year after allegations of sexual harassment. The company also took top rated host Bill O’Reilly off the air after reports that he paid several women to settle harassment charges.
21st Century Fox is reportedly under investigation for not properly reporting those payments to women.
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Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.