Onetime Louis C.K. champion FX will no longer have anything to do with the comedian in light of his admission of sexual misconduct.
The cable network has severed ties with C.K., effectively canceling his comedy series Louie. Moving forward, he also will not be involved in the FX comedies he co-created: Pamela Adlon’s Better Things and Zach Galifianakis’ Baskets, as well as FX Productions’ One Mississippi and The Cops.
The network’s statement reads:
Today, FX Networks and FX Productions are ending our association with Louis C.K. We are cancelling the overall deal between FX Productions and his production company, Pig Newton. He will no longer serve as executive producer or receive compensation on any of the four shows we were producing with him — Better Things, Baskets, One Mississippi and The Cops.
Louis has now confirmed the truth of the reports relating to the five women victimized by his misconduct, which we were unaware of previously. As far as we know, his behavior over the past eight years on all five series he has produced for FX Networks and/or FX Productions has been professional. However, now is not the time for him to make television shows. Now is the time for him to honestly address the women who have come forth to speak about their painful experiences, a process which he began today with his public statement.
FX Networks and FX Productions remain committed to doing everything we can to ensure that all people work in an environment that is safe, respectful and fair, and we will continue our review of all of these productions to ensure that was and is the case.
The network’s move comes after The New York Times released a story Thursday in which five women alleged that C.K. masturbated and engaged in other inappropriate sexual behavior in their presence. On Friday, C.K. released a statement that read, in part, “These stories are true” and “There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for.”
Louie aired its Season 5 finale in 2015. In early 2016, FX CEO John Landgraf told reporters that C.K. “certainly hasn’t promised me further seasons” and warned that the show might never return, though he added that he and the comedian “talk every week” about doing more episodes. Soon after, C.K. himself said that he didn’t know if there would be any more Louie in the future.
“It’s such an autobiographical thing that I can do a version of Louie when he’s 60, if anyone still gives a s—t,” he told reporters at the time. “By the time I want to do it, I could call [FX] up and say, ‘I’m ready,’ and they could say, ‘Who is this?’”
On Thursday, HBO announced that C.K. would not take part in its Night of Too Many Stars comedy benefit. At the same time, FX released a statement saying the network was “obviously very troubled” by the claims and was reviewing the matter.
TBS, which ordered C.K.’s animated series The Cops to series in January, also has been suspended, per The Hollywood Reporter.
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