Louis C.K. Daniel Tosh Split - H 2012
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As it turns out, Louis C.K.‘s tweet to Daniel Tosh amid a firestorm around the Comedy Central host’s use of rape jokes at an L.A. comedy club was a case of bad timing, misunderstanding and internet excitement. Not that it didn’t capture his feelings on the matter, anyway.
The world’s most popular standup comic and writer/director/star of Louie appeared on The Daily Show on Monday to try to clear the air about what has become the fuel of a major internet debate and the cause of some angry outrage. As C.K. explained, he was vacationing in Vermont, unaware of the growing controversy, and watching an episode of Tosh.0 made him laugh enough that he tweeted some kind words to the host.
A few days later, he got home to find his tweet in the headlines — including at The Hollywood Reporter — and was taken by surprise.
“And so I’m a defender of rape, that’s what everyone says now,” he mused, a bit incredulously. “And I’ve read all this stuff that’s like ‘Shame on you, Louis C.K.’ and ‘I’ll never watch your show, you’re a rape apologist.’ I’ve been called a rape apologist because I said hi to a guy who everyone was mad at.”
Still, despite now being in hot water, C.K. sees some good coming out of the situation — including some more jokes. Which is how he deals with most difficult things (see: Tracy Morgan).
“Here’s the thing: this is a fight between comedians and bloggers,” he continued. “We’re all just, hyperbole and garbage comes out of those two places. Just uneducated, unfettered blahh. It’s also a fight between comedians and feminists, which are natural enemies. Because stereotypically speaking, feminists can’t take a joke, and on the other side, comedians can’t take criticism. Comedians are big pussies.”
One thing is for sure: he knows how to get a rise out of people.
“To me, all dialogue is positive,” C.K. asserted. “For me, any joke about anything bad is great. Any joke about rape, the Holocaust, the Mets — any joke about something bad is a positive thing. I’ve read some blogs during this thing that has enlightened me with things I don’t know.”
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