Comedian Louis C.K. has been accused of sexual misconduct in a New York Times expose detailing allegations that he repeatedly asked women he encountered in work-related environments to watch him masturbate.
The story also scrutinizes the behavior of C.K.’s longtime manager, Dave Becky, of 3 Arts Entertainment, suggesting that Becky used his clout in the comedy world to pressure women to not discuss their encounters with C.K.
C.K. declined to comment for the Times’ story. A rep for the comedian did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Becky.
Comedians Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov are among the women who detail what they describe as a disturbing encounters with C.K. Goodman and Wolov said they were shocked when he invited them to his hotel room during the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo., in 2002 and allegedly stripped naked and began to masturbate. The women described themselves as being “paralyzed” during the incident and running out of the hotel room after C.K. ejaculated.
Goodman and Wolov told the Times they spoke out about the incident within the tight-knit world of standup comedians but felt the pressure to avoid shaming a powerful figure in comedy. “We could already feel the backlash” barely a day after the incident, Wolov said.