‘I profoundly regret not taking this seriously'

Louis CK’s former manager has apologised for ignoring reports of the comedian’s sexual misbehaviour.

Dave Becky is one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes figures in comedy, with the likes of Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, and Amy Poehler on his books at 3 Arts Entertainment. On Friday he  severed his connection with shamed comedian in the wake of a New York Times exposé of CK.

The original report suggested that Becky had wanted to keep CK"s accusers Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov quiet. Although the told the paper he had never threatened anyone, the women felt intimidated by the power he holds in the industry.

CK subsequently admitted the stories were true – although his mea culpa was criticised for not explicitly apologising to the women. However he did say: ‘The hardest regret to live with is what you’ve done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them.’

The comedian also said: ‘I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused.’

In his statement, Becky did directly address the women who revealed that CK ‘got completely naked, and started masturbating’ while hanging out in his hotel room at the 2002 Aspen comedy festival.

He wrote: ‘I profoundly regret and am deeply sorry for not listening to and not understanding what happened to Dana and Julia. If I had, I would have taken this event as seriously as it deserved to be, and I would have confronted Louis, which would have been the right thing to do.

‘I am providing this context so that others do not make the same mistake I did. At that time, I heard the story third-hand, and I interpreted the conversation as two women telling a story about a sexual encounter with a then-married Louis. Albeit enormously embarrassing, in no way did I interpret the interaction as threatening or non-consensual. 

‘I misperceived the casual way the story was portrayed to me – instead I should have recognized that it must have been a mask for their unease and discomfort in the face of his detestable behavior. My intent was to seek discretion to protect what I thought was a matter of infidelity. I now comprehend that my response was perceived as a threat to cover-up sexual misconduct. This is not an excuse. What I did was wrong, and again, I am extremely sorry.

‘In hindsight, I was operating blindly from a one-sided place of privilege. Until last week, I knew only of this one isolated incident. Although this may sound naïve, it is true. 

‘Never once, in all of these years, did anyone mention any of the other incidents that were reported recently — I am appalled to learn of these. I have come to realize my status wielded an atmosphere where such news did not reach me, or worse yet, that it seemed such news did not matter to me. It does. It matters tremendously.

‘I am going to take time to reflect on this, to educate myself daily, and to strive towards a more enlightened path. I want to ensure that all voices around me are heard, and that everyone is treated respectfully and empathetically. More than anything, I want to create an environment that is a better, safer and fairer place.’

It was also reported today that Pamela Adlon, creator and star of the FX series Better Things, has severed ties with Becky, who was also managing her.

Adlon had been a close collaborator with CK. She co-wrote and co-starred in his 2006 HBO show Lucky Louie and guested on his FX show Louie, for which she was nominated for an Emmy. And CK co-wrote and directed the pilot of Better Things.

Published: 14 Nov 2017