Louis CK Tells ‘Rape Whistle’ Joke In First Stand-Up Set Since Sexual Misconduct Admission

According to The Independent, Louis C.K. told a “rape whistle” joke during his show at the Comedy Cellar. This is his first stand-up set since his recent admission of sexual misconduct.

Two women who were at the show said he was introduced as a surprise guest. They said the audience showed overwhelming support for the comedian but added that the joke was “uncomfortable” and that it seemed to create a divide between how women and men responded.

US Magazine reports that Noam Dworman, owner of the Comedy Cellar, was given no notice about Louis C.K.’s arrival and that he dropped by unannounced. “He just walked in and went on. That’s it. No advance warning. We’re not the first place he appeared. He did a spot at Governor’s [of Levittown], which is a comedy club in Long Island, apparently before he came here. I found this out late in the day. And it was a very, very light crowd and he apparently wasn’t happy with it and he decided on a spur of the moment to come to the Comedy Cellar.”

The two women who were in the audience said it felt like he was being thrust upon them. They said the audience gave him a huge round of applause when he was announced but about four or five women were “not having it.” His set was described as being similar to most of his past material, but that he added a bit about the phrase “clean as a whistle”, which ended a joke about how rape whistles are not clean. “When he said ‘rape whistle’ people were laughing and I was just sitting there like ‘oh my f***’. This is so uncomfortable and so disgusting.”

In November 2017, five women came forward and accused the comedian of masturbating in front of them. He released a statement admitting to the misconduct, saying, “I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with.” After his admission, he lost his production deal with FX, HBO, and Netflix. The release of his film I Love You, Daddy was also canceled. He wrote and directed the film which also starred Chloe Grace Moretz, Edie Falco, and Charlie Day.

Although the “rape whistle” joke seems to have been poorly received, the owner of the comedy club says he only received one complaint about the show by e-mail from a member of the audience, but otherwise, the entertainer was “warmly” accepted and given a “real ovation.”