Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Louis C.K. spent 8 years at FX. The network says it never heard of any accusations against him.

FX recently completed an investigation into C.K.’s time as one of their most prolific producers.

FX and Vanity Fair Emmy Celebration - Arrivals
FX and Vanity Fair Emmy Celebration - Arrivals
Rich Fury/Getty Images
Caroline Framke
Caroline Framke wrote about culture, which usually means television. Also seen @ The A.V. Club, The Atlantic, Complex, Flavorwire, NPR, the fridge to get more seltzer.

FX, the television network that comedian Louis C.K. called home for eight years while working on Louie and other shows, knew going into the Television Critics Association winter press tour that it would be called on to address the sexual harassment allegations that led to it dropping one of its biggest creative stars.

While addressing a room full of journalists during a press conference, FX President John Landgraf confirmed that the network had conducted an investigation into whether or not any “complaints” had been filed or “misconduct” had taken place during C.K.’s time on the programming he produced for FX — including Louie, Better Things, and Baskets — and concluded that nothing was amiss.

Related

Whispered allegations of C.K.’s sexual misconduct — more specifically, masturbating in front of nonconsenting women — had circulated in corners of the internet for years before the New York Times officially broke the story in November. But when Vox asked a follow-up question as to whether or not anyone at FX had been aware of such allegations against C.K. outside of his projects with the network, Landgraf insisted that they were not.

“We didn’t know about them,” Landgraf said. “The only thing I was aware of was a blind item in Gawker, which, to me, that’s not an actual news source. It’s not a verifiable quote. It didn’t even mention Louis’s name. So we had no awareness before the New York Times’s report.”

Later in the session, Landgraf said that after the Times’s report was published, C.K. told Landgraf that he would release a statement of his own to confirm that the allegations were true. FX subsequently announced that it would sever ties with C.K. and his production company, and that C.K. would “no longer serve as executive producer or receive compensation” for any FX programming. Whether or not that change will be a permanent one remains to be seen.

See More:

More in Culture

Life
What is an aging face supposed to look like?What is an aging face supposed to look like?
Life

When bodies and appearances are malleable, what does that mean for the person underneath?

By Allie Volpe
Video
What would J.R.R. Tolkien think of Palantir?What would J.R.R. Tolkien think of Palantir?
Play
Video

How The Lord of the Rings lore helps explain the mysterious tech company.

By Benjamin Stephen
Climate
The climate crisis is coming for your groceriesThe climate crisis is coming for your groceries
Climate

Extreme heat is already wiping out soy, coffee, berries, and Christmas trees. Farm animals and humans are suffering too.

By Ayurella Horn-Muller
Future Perfect
The surprisingly strong case for feeling great about your coffee habitThe surprisingly strong case for feeling great about your coffee habit
Future Perfect

Your morning coffee is one of modern life’s underrated miracles.

By Bryan Walsh
Good Medicine
Do health influencers actually know what they’re talking about?Do health influencers actually know what they’re talking about?
Good Medicine

Most health influencers don’t have real credentials — but they are more influential than ever.

By Dylan Scott
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North