In the past few months, comedian Louis C.K. has been popping up at comedy venues again, less than a year after admitting to sexually assaulting women and in some cases, tanking their careers when they spoke out. For some reason, there are still plenty of people willing to defend him and welcome him back. C.K. has a lot of friends, and many of them are pretty powerful. Even if they don’t condone what he did, many seem willing to give him a second chance.
That includes Jimmy Kimmel, who made some comments about comedy and meritocracy that have raised a few eyebrows. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kimmel said in regards to C.K.’s reappearance, “If we get into the business of sanitizing every comedian and doing a thorough background check before they walk through the door, it’s going to be a very empty stage. I think people tend to focus on the one or two people who walk out of a situation like that. Ultimately, the audience decides whether someone is welcomed back.”
For somebody who has been committing segments of his show to issues in politics and healthcare, this is a decidedly unwoke opinion. NPR host Linda Holmes broke down why on Twitter:
I want to address something Jimmy Kimmel says here. “Comedy is very democratic. The people who are great, rise to the top; the people who are good, rise to the middle; and the people who aren’t good, don’t make it.” https://t.co/LcAMeuzopd
— Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) October 3, 2018
In addition to implicitly condoning C.K., Kimmel gave the impression that people get a chance to make it or break it on stage by accident. There are certainly times when someone can prove themselves in front of a mic, but we Holmes pointed out that sometimes we don’t see how great people are because of our own biases. Also, C.K. isn’t on the stage by accident. Someone invited him:
Second of all: Right in this same piece, they’re talking about CK being given a spot on stage. A spot many people would kill for. Giving him that spot is a specific choice made by a specific person or people. That doesn’t just *happen*.
— Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) October 3, 2018
I hate this depersonalization of the ways that people become famous, get opportunities to remain famous, and get opportunities to recover from stumbles. Those are all choices. It’s not an algorithm.
— Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) October 3, 2018
Shoot. And one more thing, too. The thing about “no, I don’t consider whether my shows are inclusive, because I’d never want a woman to think she got a spot because she’s a woman” is so broken.
— Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) October 3, 2018
In my own life, I think of it like turning up the levels on your microphone, not because other people aren’t speaking at the same volume, but because *you don’t hear all frequencies well*. You have to make a specific effort to hear across a spectrum.
— Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) October 3, 2018
I am much more likely to *naturally notice* things that vibrate on a frequency that thrums in my head, but as a curator, I can’t confuse that with quality or meritocracy. So if you don’t notice gender, if you “don’t see color” with comics? You’ll perpetuate your own limits.
— Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) October 3, 2018
Great point. We’re all pretty lazy about looking outside our comfort zone and trying to be open to new perspectives. It can be hard work to make sure we’re tuned to experience something new. Let’s start with agreeing that the guy who masturbated in front of people against their will is old news.