Louis C.K. Takes Swings at Parkland Survivors, Non-Binary Pronouns

Comedian Louis C.K., who is supposed to be taking a “step back” and reflecting on the predatory behavior he’s publicly admitted to engaging in, is back doing stand-up. And his recently leaked set is not a good look unless he’s auditioning for his own hour on Fox News.

A bootleg recording of a show at New York City’s Comedy Cellar earlier this month was posted to YouTube yesterday. In it, C.K. can be heard mocking millennials, non-binary folks, and survivors of the Parkland shooting.

“You’re not interesting because you went to a high school where kids got shot,” he says of the Parkland kids. “Why does that mean I have to listen to you? How does that make you interesting? You didn’t get shot, you pushed some fat kid in the way and now I need to listen to you talking?”

In another moment of punching down, he takes a swing at the younger generation choosing their own pronouns.

“Fuck you, you’re a child. They’re like royalty, they tell you what to call them. ‘You should address me as they/them because I identify as gender neutral.’ Okay.”

The idea that people have agency and don’t have to bend over backwards to let C.K. do whatever he wants is something the alleged comedian has never seemed able to grasp. In November 2017, five women accused him of sexual harassment — specifically, of grasping his dick and jerking off in front of them.

C.K. almost immediately copped to the claims, which were reportedly somewhat well-known throughout the comedy world already.

“The hardest regret to live with is what you’ve done to hurt someone else,” C.K. said in his admission of guilt and supposed apology. “I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”

Just over a year later, and it’s more than apparent that C.K. not only hasn’t listened and learned, but was simply biding time until he thought he could get away with stepping back into the spotlight.

And perhaps he’s been waiting for a new audience. Response to the leaked set has largely suggested C.K.’s new stand-up is targeted towards alt-right audiences, rather than the liberal audiences who used to support him but also expected better from him.

Because when changing yourself proves too difficult, why not just change the people you surround yourself with instead?

The original video of C.K.’s set has been taken down, but subsequent repostings can be found on YouTube, and shorter clips are all over Twitter and Instagram.

But honestly, don't bother.