At Comedy Cellar, Louis C.K. Fans Disappointed By Sex Scandal

WEST VILLAGE, NEW YORK — The sex scandal surrounding Louis C.K. is making his fans sour towards the comedian, audience members at the New York City club he claims as his home turf told Patch Thursday night.

Just hours after the West Village comedian was accused of sexual misconduct, fans packing into the neighborhood's Comedy Cellar – the venue featured at the beginning of the funnyman's show "Louis" – said they were left sickened by the allegations.

"It’s good that chickens come home to roost," Anthony Stewart, 25, said as he waited on the sidewalk outside the MacDougal Street venue before the 7:30 p.m. show.

Five women accused C.K. of sexual misconduct in a New York Times report published Thursday. Two of them were fellow comedians who told the newspaper that C.K. invited them to a hotel room in 2002 and began to masturbate in front of them.

Another accuser said she could hear him masturbating while they spoke on the phone a year later. C.K. admitted to the allegations on Friday and apologized for his behavior.

His crude comedy on topics like masturbation is pervasive in his FX television show and in his standup routines at clubs like the Comedy Cellar.

The West Village club, the steps of which he walks down in the opening of his show “Louis,” often hosts him as he drops by unannounced to perform with other superstar comedians like Amy Schumer and Chris Rock.

On Thursday, fans had mixed feelings outside the club – they were disappointed the beloved comedian was engulfed in scandal, but glad the alleged sexual misconduct was exposed.

“It sucks,” said Kat Duff, 24, who was waiting in the standby line on the edge of the sidewalk with coworkers from a tech startup. “Yeah, it’s people we like. But if they do weird sexual stuff, they should be called out. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, you can’t behave like that.”

“I was just disappointed,” said Kate Drahota, 40, who said she had just gone to see C.K. in Portland, Oregon. “I was just reading it, going like ‘oh man.'”

For Heather Damon, a 30-year-old a part-time comedian from Washington State, the allegations against C.K. speak to a larger issue in the industry.

“I’m not surprised,” she said as a Comedy Cellar bouncer asked her to keep the sidewalk clear for pedestrians. “If you’re a female comedian, you might get excited because all these people are talking to you, and these guys in particular are getting to know you,” she said.

“Once you make it known that after some time you’re not going to sleep with anybody, then nobody gives you the same attention as you got before.”

The accusations are enough to make Juliette Peters, 29, no longer support C.K.

“It’s hard for me to be a fan. How I live represents my values and that’s not supporting someone who’s been accused of that sort’ve behavior," she said.

Photo Credit: Ben Feuerherd