# "I Lost $35 Million in an Hour" - Louis C.K. Comeback **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101 "2018-10-17T18:03:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/61 "2018-10-19T17:41:26Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > 1. Attitudes have changed over the past **forty** years. > > 2. The reporting of the incident has changed considerably as well during that time. > > Back in the 1970s, sex between adults and willing teenagers was considered mildly scandalous but really not much more than that unless the parents got upset about it. Hell, even outright child molestation wasn’t really taken seriously in this country until the McMartin preschool case in the early 1980s. (I know the charges in that case were almost certainly bogus, I’m just citing it as a turning point with respect to attitudes.) Over the next several years, we got to the point as a society of deciding that teens under 18 weren’t fair game for adults. > > And the news at the time suggested that the girl might have been a willing participant. And [per Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski_sexual_abuse_case#Rape_case), "The 28-page probation report submitted to the court…concluded by saying that there was evidence ‘that the victim was not only physically mature, but willing.’ " Scandalous, to be sure, but not the stuff of societal outrage back then. More the subject of jokes, like: “You heard about Polanski’s new film? It’s gonna be called _Close Encounters with the Third Grade_.” > > That was where we were back then. We did not take this shit seriously. > > We take sex between adults and 13 year olds a LOT more seriously now, thank goodness, and it’s generally recognized now that it wasn’t just statutory rape, that Polanski drugged and raped the girl. > > And this isn’t just a consequence of the #MeToo movement. When he was arrested in Switzerland in 2009, Polanski had plenty of supporters in Hollywood, but [public opinion in the rest of the country ran heavily against him](http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/01/entertainment/et-polanski1). And the U.S. had [requested in 2005](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski_sexual_abuse_case#Arrest_in_Zurich) the Interpol red notice that led to his arrest. > > Looks like [Hollywood finally caught up with the rest of the country this year](https://variety.com/2018/film/awards/film-academy-expels-bill-cosby-and-roman-polanski-from-membership-1202797252/); I expect that might’ve been due to #MeToo. Obviously the attitudes about sex in general have changed over the last 40 years. But the views on Polanski himself in the industry have only sort of changed in the last couple of years. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/62 "2018-10-19T17:50:57Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I find it pretty weird that people take that one line, how the scandal affected his finances, as if that proves he doesn’t recognize that what he did affected other people as well. Like if his entire comedy set wasn’t all apologies then he’s an unrepentant jackhole. > > Michael Richards was brought up but I don’t see mention that he did go the groveling apology tour route. What did that get him? Zip. I find it hard to swallow some people’s comments that if CK would be more contrite then they might forgive him. I understand that some people will just never forgive certain transgressions and I don’t really quarrel with that position. But if he is going to make a comeback, there’s no way he can do that if he just completely changes his act to some crying for forgiveness shtick. To be fair, I saw Richards on Jerry’s show on Netflix. They talked about the incident, Jerry tried to nudge him into getting back on the stage. But Richards wasn’t having it. He doesn’t feel he deserves another chance, so he’s not even going to try. I believe the apology thing was done because he was being pressured by Jerry, who obviously wanted to save his sitcom for syndication. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/63 "2018-10-19T18:52:43Z")
CK was always pretty scathing about himself in his stand-up and his sitcom, up to and including sexual proclivities. I thought he was borderline brilliant, and I think he may have the _capacity_ to turn his warped vision on himself and talk about what he did in a way that’s truthful, apologetic, meaningful, reflective and funny. Will he actually go there? He’ll probably try. Will people believe him / forgive him / be willing to move on? Probably not. Will Netflix carry the special? I’d bet on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/64 "2018-10-19T18:57:34Z")
Mike Vick went to prison for dog fighting and resumed his career as a NFL QB. There were protests at games after he came back with the Eagles. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/65 "2018-10-19T19:09:56Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > CK was always pretty scathing about himself in his stand-up and his sitcom, up to and including sexual proclivities. I thought he was borderline brilliant, and I think he may have the _capacity_ to turn his warped vision on himself and talk about what he did in a way that’s truthful, apologetic, meaningful, reflective and funny. > > Will he actually go there? He’ll probably try. > > Will people believe him / forgive him / be willing to move on? Probably not. > > Will Netflix carry the special? I’d bet on it. I agree with all that. He will probably try and I would expect he’ll do a decent job of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/66 "2018-10-19T19:17:54Z")
I like Louis, but I haven’t watched a thing he’s done since that story broke. It’s funny, based on his humor, I instantly believed everything alleged against him. Not even a question. So I guess I always knew he was likely a perv in real life, but that was in the background with plausible deniability. With his pervyness in the foreground, his gross sex jokes are just not as funny. And that’s kind of his thing. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/67 "2018-10-19T19:33:32Z")
I get what you’re saying, but isn’t a little weird that his observations on sexual perversions are somehow less good because he has some? In hindsight, his SNL monologue on child abuse seems almost like a confession. Admitting that something is wrong and people will hate you for it but you still can’t resist. [SNL monologue](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yzh7RtIJKZk). What I’m talking about starts around the 6 minute mark. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/68 "2018-10-19T19:36:40Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Mike Vick went to prison for dog fighting and resumed his career as a NFL QB. There were protests at games after he came back with the Eagles. The year he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers I participated in the protests. A friend who has a financial interest in the NFL and the Steeler organization told me it was a mistake to sign him but would never discuss specifics. Then again, there’s Rapethlisberger ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/69 "2018-10-19T19:58:07Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I like Louis, but I haven’t watched a thing he’s done since that story broke. > > It’s funny, based on his humor, I instantly believed everything alleged against him. Not even a question. So I guess I always knew he was likely a perv in real life, but that was in the background with plausible deniability. > > With his pervyness in the foreground, his gross sex jokes are just not as funny. And that’s kind of his thing. The reason why the pre-public revelation Louis C.K. might’ve been able to get away with pervy jokes was because he depicted himself as a schlubby pathetic loser. However, at least in the professional sense, he definitely was not a loser. Pre-scandal he was someone worth over $35 million who had a thriving production company and (as he let slip during one talk show interview) at least one yacht. Even without the scandal, it’s hard for people to buy a comic’s underdog persona if they know he has a yacht. When this is combined with his known sexual proclivities, you have a picture of a sociopathic authority figure who often coerces people below him to get what he wants or for his own kicks. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/70 "2018-10-19T20:12:15Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > The reason why the pre-public revelation Louis C.K. might’ve been able to get away with pervy jokes was because he depicted himself as a schlubby pathetic loser. However, at least in the professional sense, he definitely was not a loser. Pre-scandal he was someone worth over $35 million who had a thriving production company and (as he let slip during one talk show interview) at least one yacht. Even without the scandal, it’s hard for people to buy a comic’s underdog persona if they know he has a yacht. When this is combined with his known sexual proclivities, you have a picture of a sociopathic authority figure who often coerces people below him to get what he wants or for his own kicks. I doubt that a whole lot. His bits were never about being poor. And he owned “at least one yacht”? Do you have any clue how much yachts cost? 35 million doesn’t provide for a fleet. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/71 "2018-10-19T20:53:36Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I doubt that a whole lot. His bits were never about being poor. And he owned “at least one yacht”? Do you have any clue how much yachts cost? 35 million doesn’t provide for a fleet. > **[Comedian Louis C.K.'s Boat Washes Up on Inwood Marsh](https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120904/inwood/comedian-louis-cks-boat-washes-up-on-inwood-marsh/#slide-1)** > > Comedian Louis "C. K." Szekely was stranded in the waters off Inwood on Sunday, sources said. His boat is probably in the $350k range. That’s the estimate I saw. Maybe up to 400. Nice but not exactly on a Trumpian scale. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/72 "2018-10-19T21:00:44Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Pre-scandal he was someone worth over $35 million who had a thriving production company and (as he let slip during one talk show interview) at least one yacht. Even without the scandal, it’s hard for people to buy a comic’s underdog persona if they know he has a yacht. “Let slip?” I’m not quite sure what you mean by that. Pre-scandal I heard him talk extensively about things that happened on his boat during interviews. His episode of Comedians in Cars getting Coffee was mostly on his boat. If he was trying to not let it slip he was doing a piss poor job of it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/73 "2018-10-19T21:08:44Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I doubt that a whole lot. His bits were never about being poor. And he owned “at least one yacht”? Do you have any clue how much yachts cost? 35 million doesn’t provide for a fleet. Sorry for the multi-post. I just saw a boat message board that said he has a Meridian 341. Used they go in the 200-250 range at best. I couldn’t find a new price. Not extravagant as yachts go. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/74 "2018-10-19T21:28:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Sorry for the multi-post. I just saw a boat message board that said he has a Meridian 341. Used they go in the 200-250 range at best. I couldn’t find a new price. Not extravagant as yachts go. That’s a boat. A nice, big, fancy boat. But a boat. ETA: IMHO ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/75 "2018-10-19T21:33:03Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Sorry for the multi-post. I just saw a boat message board that said he has a Meridian 341. Used they go in the 200-250 range at best. I couldn’t find a new price. Not extravagant as yachts go. I never said any of Louis C.K.'s routines were about his living in poverty. On his TV shows, he’s shown living in an average dwelling and doing somewhat okay in terms of income. He just never depicted himself as being yacht-owning rich. Even if his real-life yacht was somewhere in the low-to-medium price range, the fact he was able to afford it would indicate his annual income was still many times that of the majority of his fans. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/76 "2018-10-19T21:44:37Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I never said any of Louis C.K.'s routines were about his living in poverty. On his TV shows, he’s shown living in an average dwelling and doing somewhat okay in terms of income. He just never depicted himself as being yacht-owning rich. Even if his real-life yacht was somewhere in the low-to-medium price range, the fact he was able to afford it would indicate his annual income was still many times that of the majority of his fans. I guess that’s why Seinfeld was such a failure. Who could believe such a fabulously rich comedian would be living in an unlocked one bedroom apartment. About the only big comedian that I recall who makes a point about his new wealth is Chappelle. The idea that all comedy fans are clueless that the big names are rich is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/77 "2018-10-19T21:59:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Michael Richards was brought up but I don’t see mention that he did go the groveling apology tour route. What did that get him? Zip. By all appearances, Richards is, today, is exactly where he was right before that video came out. Which is absolutely fucking nowhere. Seinfeld ended in '98. The video came out in 2006. Look at his IMDb page. Between Seinfeld and his “career ending” outburst, he had a part in a TV movie based on a Dickens novel, and a failed television vehicle that got cancelled after seven episodes. Then there’s a solid six years of absolutely nothing happening to this guy before the tape comes out. So, it’s hard to say that his apology didn’t matter, because his career appears to have largely been over already. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/78 "2018-10-19T22:06:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > By all appearances, Richards is, today, is exactly where he was right before that video came out. Which is absolutely fucking nowhere. Seinfeld ended in '98. The video came out in 2006. Look at his IMDb page. Between Seinfeld and his “career ending” outburst, he had a part in a TV movie based on a Dickens novel, and a failed television vehicle that got cancelled after seven episodes. Then there’s a solid six years of absolutely nothing happening to this guy before the tape comes out. So, it’s hard to say that his apology didn’t matter, because his career appears to have largely been over already. Yes, but in terms of forgiveness he got zip. His racist rant is basically half of his legacy now and his apology tour did nothing to change that. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/79 "2018-10-19T22:07:03Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I never said any of Louis C.K.'s routines were about his living in poverty. On his TV shows, he’s shown living in an average dwelling and doing somewhat okay in terms of income. He just never depicted himself as being yacht-owning rich. Even if his real-life yacht was somewhere in the low-to-medium price range, the fact he was able to afford it would indicate his annual income was still many times that of the majority of his fans. In Lucky Louie he wasn’t playing himself. It was his version of a Ralph Kramden character. He was a mechanic in the series. In Louie he played a fictional version of himself. I would guess it’s a pretty close approximation. Successful but not extremely well off. A decent apartment on the Upper West Side is not going to look extravagant to most of the country but it’s extremely expensive. I don’t get where you think he was hiding things in order to be some sort of man of the people. He never did and his comedy never had anything to do with that. Netflix gave him a lot of money but I think he got dumped before he got paid a lot of it. He took a much lower salary to maintain creative control of Louie. He got divorced after he got famous. He took a bath on Horace and Pete. He got zero return on his new unreleased movie. No one here knows if he’s any good at investing or saving. I doubt he’s any where near the $35 million in assets level. I’m assuming he’s much better off than me. But it’s possible he’s in bad financial shape if he had too much money invested in projects. Max Bialystock: The two cardinal rules of producing. One: Never put your own money in the show. Leo Bloom: And two? Max Bialystock: NEVER PUT YOUR OWN MONEY IN THE SHOW! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101/80 "2018-10-19T22:30:32Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Which is why I’ve continually been astonished at Roman Polanski’s decades long success. Legally and morally what he did was 100 times worse. I guess it’s easier to ignore when it’s someone behind the camera. Or maybe the world really has drastically changed in attitude over just the last couple of years. Yeah, he wrote lovingly about raping that 13 year old girl in his memoirs and got a standing ovation at the Oscars. Louis was just born too late. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-lost-35-million-in-an-hour-louis-c-k-comeback/823101.md?page=5)