Louis C.K.
Photo: Michael Losccisano/Getty Images
Don’t act shocked: Netflix has a perfunctory, rehearsed explanation for why it booked Louis C.K. for this year’s Netflix Is a Joke festival after he was accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. “When it comes to Louis, part of the job of my team is we listen to the type of stand-ups people want to see, but we also spend a lot of time looking at who’s selling tickets all around the world,” Netflix stand-up chief Robbie Praw told Variety in a May 4 article. “Louis has had a really impressive run for the last two years, and he has a great special right now, so we’re excited to see it on Netflix this summer.” Praw added, “When our members sit and open up Netflix, they have a decision to make of what they want to watch. This is just about giving them an option to see a really popular comedian that they may want to watch who’s still putting out great stuff.”
To be fair, Netflix is far from the only institution to welcome C.K. back with open arms. He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2022 and 2023, winning in ’22 for Sincerely Louis CK. Now, with C.K.’s booking for a major streamer, it appears he is officially considered brand-safe again.
Elsewhere in the interview, Praw has both good and bad news for comedy fans. The good: It appears that any time Tim Robinson wants to make more I Think You Should Leave, Netflix is here for him. “I don’t want to speak for Tim, but he has such a deep passion for that show, and we’re obsessed with it,” Praw said. “We don’t pressure Tim, but we just know that he loves doing it, and I would imagine at some point he’ll want to do it again.” On the sad side, it looks as if there won’t be more of Vulture’s beloved Everybody’s Live. “We don’t think so, no,” Praw said when asked if there would be more of the late-night show. “John [Mulaney] is on a big tour. There’s no talk of him doing that right now.” Okay, will someone get Robinson in the writers’ room now? Comedy is in crisis.
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