His tour will begin next week with two nights at New York City’s Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. He will then perform at 50 shows in 30 cities across the nation. A European tour will follow afterward, Deadline reported.
In an email to fans released Wednesday, C.K. said that because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he would “comply with the local governments of each city in terms of health standards and practices…[and] just do our best under the circumstances.”
“I’m really looking forward to seeing your faces as I tell some rather impolite jokes and stories,” his email concluded.
In late 2017, five women accused the award-winning comedian of sexual misconduct, including exposing himself and masturbating in front of them in incidents that occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
C.K. confirmed the allegations in a November 10, 2017 statement: “The stories are true. There is nothing about this I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am.” He added, “I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”
In response, the premiere of his film I Love You Daddy was canceled. He canceled his scheduled appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. HBO then dropped him from its November 18, 2017, special, Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs. Various cable networks also removed his former specials and series from their on-demand services.
C.K. began his gradual return to stand-up comedy in August 2018 when he performed for about 15 minutes at New York City’s Comedy Cellar. He performed at the venue a second time that October. He did not mention his sexual misconduct scandal during either show.
“It sounded just like he was trying to work out some new material, almost like any time of the last 10 years he would come in at the beginning of a new act,” the club’s owner, Noam Dworman, told The New York Times. Dworman said he allowed C.K. to perform because “there can’t be a permanent life sentence on someone who does something wrong.”
During a December 2018 performance, C.K. received criticism for jokes mocking school shooting survivors, transgender people and people with mental disabilities.
C.K. announced a comeback tour in October 2019. The 18-show tour included dates in places like Peoria, Illinois; Mobile, Alabama and Holon, Israel. The news was met with mixed reactions. He unveiled a new comedy special, Sincerely Louis C.K., on his website in April 2020.
Newsweek contacted Louis C.K. for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
