Janeane Garofalo Says Leave Louis C.K. Alone: Family Has Paid Heavily

C.K. began making a comeback on the stand-up comedy circuit in late August and has continued to perform, most recently courting controversy for a December performance in which he joked about gender pronouns and the Parkland school shooting survivors. Garofalo said that people should not be as hostile to C.K.’s sets, if only for the sake of the comedian’s two children.

‘When he performs at the Comedy Cellar and people get all irate, if nothing else, care about his daughters,” Garofalo said. “If nothing else — if you can find no compassion for him, which I think you should — think about how his daughters, who hear all of this stuff, feel. Why don’t you leave him alone for them if you’re so women-empowering?”

Garofalo said she was aware “there’ll be nothing but vitriol coming at me about this,” but she encouraged outspoken backlash against C.K. to end because the comedian has “paid heavily, heavily, and his family has paid heavily.”

“Do you know how much offensive material goes on at the Comedy Cellar?” Garofalo asked the hosts when pressed about C.K.’s comedy sets. “You know what? If you don’t want to listen to him, get up and leave the room. You are acting like Mussolini has walked into the room, and it is not. This is a human being.”

For more of Garofalo’s conversation on “Poptarts,” head over to Vulture.

Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.