Louis CK Accused of Sexual Misconduct Toward 5 Women

Louis CK appears to be the latest to fall in Hollywood's sexual misconduct scandal: In a bombshell New York Times report, five women accuse the comedian of masturbating in front of them or asking to do so. The women include:

• Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov: A comedy duo who say Louis CK invited them to his hotel room for a nightcap after they performed at the US Comedy Arts Festival in 2002, then asked if he could take out his penis. They thought he was joking, but he disrobed and masturbated in front of them, they say. They ultimately felt their careers suffered after they spoke to others in the industry about what happened.
• Abby Schachner: A comedian who says Louis CK got sexually inappropriate with her during a phone call in 2003 when she was trying to invite him to her show, and ultimately masturbated while she was on the phone.
• Rebecca Corry: A comedian who says Louis CK asked to masturbate in front of her while they were working together on a TV pilot in 2005.
• An anonymous woman: She was working in production at The Chris Rock Show in the late 1990s when, she says, Louis CK masturbated in front of her in his office.

The Times' extensive piece includes corroborating accounts from others in the entertainment industry who confirm the women shared their experiences with them.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette, for example, were the executive producers of the pilot Corry was working on at the time, and they confirm the "awful" incident. Comedian Tig Notaro says that while she once had a good relationship with Louis CK, who released her 2012 comedy album about her cancer diagnosis that gave her career a big boost, she has since learned that his "victims are not only real, but many are actual friends of mine within the comedy community." Rumors of such behavior by Louis CK have circulated for years, and he often jokes about masturbation and sexual hangups in his own work. The Times reports that he appeared to acknowledge his misbehavior in apologetic messages to Schachner and Corry; he declined to talk to the newspaper for its article. In the lead-up to its release, the premiere of his new movie was abruptly canceled Thursday, as was his planned appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Thursday night. Click for the full Times article.