In the opening monologue of today’s episode of his podcast, WTF, Marc Maron addressed the scandal currently surrounding his friend, Louis C.K. Maron discussed occasions in previous years when he had brought up the rumors about C.K.’s behavior, asking if they were true and what the Louie star intended to do about them. Maron recalls C.K. telling him that the stories were “not real,” and that it was “just a rumor.” He says that C.K. repeatedly told him he couldn’t address the allegations for fear of “giving them life.”
Maron was not shy about condemning the behavior of his friend and colleague. He prefaced the monologue by reminding listeners, “This is where I talk about things, this is where I think things through.” He then started off by describing C.K.’s behavior as “vile, inappropriate, hurtful, damaging,” and “selfish,” all in one breath. He relayed his experience with these rumors over the last few years, explaining how C.K. would react to any mention of them with quick dismissal, and how there was no reason not to believe him.
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“There were no women attached to this story,” Maron said, explaining that the victims in question were anonymous as far as he knew. This led him into a train of thought central to stories coming to light in Hollywood these past few weeks — the space and power that women have, or lack, to share their experience without being condemned.
“I didn’t know their names until Friday, so I believed my friend,” Maron said sadly. “It’s just that the environment enabled the dismissiveness of it. How do I put this? The work environment, the social environment, makes it difficult for people to come forward and be heard, to be listened to, to be believed, and for action to be taken around that. It is pushed aside, it is dismissed, it is framed as an annoyance or an embarrassment, it is used against people, it is used as a threat, that is the structure that exists in life.”
Maron shared the same sentiments again today in a blog post titled “Not The Place.” “He did some bad, selfish, hurtful, traumatizing, insensitive, creepy, sexual things to some women and now he is facing the consequences,” Maron wrote. “His friends and family and people who worked with and for him are dealing with the consequences. The victims are living with the consequences of his actions and have been for years.”
Maron also took the opportunity to sound off on Twitter itself, where he felt he was attacked for not addressing the report swiftly enough.
I’ve been friends with Louis CK for a long time. I read the article and none of it is good. I’ll have more to say about it on my own show and not a shitty platform like Twitter.
— marc maron (@marcmaron) November 10, 2017
“I’ve been friends with Louis C.K. for a long time. I read the article and none of it is good. I’ll have more to say about it on my own show and not a shitty platform like Twitter,” he tweeted.
At the end of last week, Louis C.K. released a statement confirming the truth behind accusations leveled against him by five different women. The results have included the cancellation of his upcoming film and his Netflix stand-up special, as well as several other media companies cutting ties with the comedy icon.
