Showtime Just Canceled Their Planned Louis CK Documentary

Variety has exclusively reported that the upcoming documentary about disgraced comedian Louis C.K. won't be going forward at Showtime.

The documentary was set to be directed by Caroline Suh, best known for her 2020 Netflix documentary "Blackpink: Light Up the Sky" about the K-Pop group and would have ostensibly focused on the comedian's downfall after serious accusations were leveled against him. Former Paramount+ executive David Nevins initially announced the documentary at the Edinburgh TV Festival in August of 2022. 

At the time, Nevins said, "Louis CK is a slightly different situation [to Harvey Weinstein] and a great, great comedian who has come back in his own way. I don't think the social change that #MeToo has brought about is resolved at all," Nevins said. "There's a bit of backlash against #MeToo, who has to go away and who's allowed to come back." According to the original report, the documentary would have used C.K. as a central point to investigate the #MeToo movement that arose in Hollywood that spotlighted systemic misogyny and wrongdoing behind the scenes, particularly with people like Weinstein. Now, it's been confirmed that the documentary won't be coming to Showtime — though, as of this writing, there's no word on whether or not a different studio will produce it.

In 2017, during a reckoning in which powerful figures — mostly men — in Hollywood were held accountable for years of ongoing abuse, Louis C.K. was accused of sexual misconduct by five women, initially reported in the New York Times. According to Nevins during the August 2022 announcement, the reporters who worked on the story — Melena Ryzik, Cara Buckley and Jodi Kantor — would have been involved in the documentary as well. (If Kantor's name sounds familiar, it's because she was played by Zoe Kazan in the 2022 film "She Said," which detailed the investigative report on Weinstein conducted by Kantor and Megan Twohey.)

According to his victims, C.K. trapped them in his hotel room so that they could watch him engage in sexual activity — and they also alleged that C.K.'s manager Dave Becky intimidated them into staying silent. Shortly after the accusations broke, C.K. confirmed that they were true. "These stories are true," C.K. said in a lengthy statement admitting that he had abused his power over younger female comedians who hoped that he could mentor them as they tried to launch their careers.

After completely owning up to the behavior, C.K. closed his statement by saying, "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. Thank you for reading."

Immediately after news broke about his misconduct, the premiere of C.K.'s 2017 movie "I Love You, Daddy" was abruptly canceled, and the comedian did take a little bit of time away from public life to "listen." FX, which was home to his series "Louie," publicly cut ties with C.K., and Netflix canceled his stand-up special — but C.K.'s time out of the public eye didn't last long. Amidst a combination of backlash and support from fellow comedians, C.K. returned to his stand-up comedy career in 2018 with a set that created even more controversy, when a tape leaked featuring his set criticizing survivors of the Parkland school shooting and nonbinary people. In 2022, he made a film alongside comedian Joe List titled "Fourth of July," which received mixed feedback (to say the least).

None of this has really taken its toll on C.K.'s career, though; in January of 2023, he performed stand-up to a sold out crowd at New York City's Madison Square Garden, and he won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album a year prior. Whether or not this documentary would have helped or hurt his image is a huge question mark at this point, as clearly, Showtime has decided not to get involved in the controversial comedian's story. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).