Louis C.K. has cancelled two stand-up gigs in Leeds next week after protests.
The comedian, who took a career break in 2017 following backlash over his admission of sexual misconduct, was due to perform shows at The Hi-Fi Club on May 22 and The Wardrobe on May 23.
However, C.K. pulled the gigs less than 24 hours after they were announced after protests on social media. Promoter Toby Jones told Chortle that “the sheer amount of hatred from both the industry and members of the public made running the shows utterly untenable.”
An email was sent out to ticket buyers confirming the cancellation. It added that the shows will not be rescheduled.
C.K. returned to the stage last August in New York after taking nearly a year off. Despite admitting several instances in which he’d asked women for their consent to masturbate in front of them, on one occasion he did so over the phone without consent from the woman on the line.
In the months since, some of C.K.’s performances have been met with protest, including a woman in New York who felt compelled to heckle him when he did a surprise gig.
Speaking of his actions at the time of confession, C.K. said that he would be taking the time to “step back and take a long time to listen”.
“At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true,” he said. “But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.”
Representatives for The House Of Fun comedy clubs where C.K. will perform next week say that the two nights in Leeds are currently his only planned British dates.