In the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against Louis C.K. from five women in a New York Times exposé published Thursday, the Orchard, the distributor of C.K.’s new film, I Love You, Daddy, announced it will no longer release the movie. In a brief statement on Friday, the distributor said: “The Orchard will not be moving forward with the release of I Love You, Daddy.” The film was initially set to be released on November 17. Its Thursday premiere in New York was canceled hours before the Times piece dropped.
I Love You, Daddy, which the Orchard acquired for $5 million in September after its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, was a controversial film before the Times report. It’s an apparent tribute to director Woody Allen, who has his own history of sexual-misconduct allegations. Further, I Love You, Daddy seems to take aim at the previously rumored allegations about C.K. — that he pressured women to either watch or listen to him masturbate, now published in the Times report. As Sam Adams wrote for Slate in September:
I Love You, Daddy is likely to squick some people out whether or not they’re aware that C.K. has himself been accused of nonconsensual sex acts. But it’s especially queasy when viewed in that light.
Since the Times article, networks have moved quickly to distance themselves from C.K. The comedian has been dropped from HBO’s upcoming special, Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs, and the network has also removed C.K.’s previous work from its on-demand services. Netflix will no longer produce a previously planned second stand-up special with C.K. (the first, Louis C.K. 2017, debuted on the streaming service in April). At this time, Netflix will not remove C.K.’s previous stand-up specials from its library.
Additionally, FX, which produced C.K.’s Emmy-winning comedy series Louie — and has seen the comedian’s imprint on other network projects, including Pamela Adlon’s critically acclaimed Better Things — issued a statement indicating that the matter is “under review.”
Update: On Friday afternoon, FX announced that it was ending its partnership with Louis C.K. and his production company, Pig Newton. The network added that C.K. will not receive compensation for any current FX shows—Better Things, Baskets, One Mississippi, and The Cops—on which he is a producer.
“Now is not the time for him to make television shows,” the statement reads. “Now is the time for him to honestly address the women who have come forth to speak about their painful experiences, a process which he began today with his public statement.”
This piece was updated with additional information after publication. Disclosure: HBO is an initial investor in The Ringer.
