Sarah Silverman is finally addressing the sexual harassment scandal surrounding Louis C.K.
After the Louie star was accused of and later admitted to masturbating in front of female comics, among other instances of sexual misconduct, Silverman, a close friend of C.K.’s for many years, kept quiet on the matter. But in an incredibly poignant episode of her Hulu talk show, I Love You, America, Silverman breaks her silence on the painful subject and explains why it’s been so difficult for her to talk about it.
Read a transcript of Silverman’s remarks and watch the emotional clip below.
You’ve probably heard what’s happening in the news recently regarding sexual assault, especially in the entertainment industry. And to be clear, it’s not just Hollywood; it’s everywhere — like this stuff happens in bakeries too. It’s just not getting written up in The New York Times. This recent calling out of sexual assault has been a long time coming. It’s good. It’s like cutting out tumors. It’s messy and it’s complicated and it is going to hurt, but it’s necessary, and we’ll all be healthier for it.
And it sucks, and some of our heroes will be taken down, and we will discover bad things about people we like, or in some cases, people we love. Let’s just say it. I’m talking about Louis. And I’ve of course been asked to comment, and in full honesty, I really, really, really don’t want to. I wish I could sit this one out. But then I remembered something I said on this very show, that if it’s mentionable, it’s manageable. So I’m going to address the elephant masturbating in the room. And full disclosure: I’m still processing all this shit. But here’s where I’m at on it as of this moment. It could change tomorrow, and if it does, I will keep you posted.
One of my best friends of over 25 years, Louis C. K., masturbated in front of women. He wielded his power with women in fucked-up ways, sometimes to the point where they left comedy entirely. I could couch this with heartwarming stories of our friendship and what a great dad he is — but that’s totally irrelevant, isn’t it? Yes, it is.
It’s a real mindfuck, you know, because I love Louis. But Louis did these things. Both of those statements are true, so I just keep asking myself, “Can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them?” I can mull that over later, certainly, because the only people that matter right now are the victims. They are victims, and they’re victims because of something he did. So I hope it’s OK if I am at once very angry for the women he wronged and the culture that enabled it, and also sad, because he’s my friend. But I believe with all my heart that this moment in time is essential. It’s vital that people are held accountable for their actions, no matter who they are. We need to be better. We will be better. I can’t fucking wait to be better.
