The sexual harassment allegations against Louis C.K., Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood stars were front and center at Saturday night’s Comics Come Home event in Boston.
Several of the evening’s performers, including host Denis Leary, didn’t shy away from talking about the scandals during their sets at the TD Garden. After kicking off the show with a pair of musical numbers, Leary dived right into the controveries with his opening monologue.
“Tonight we probably have the only eight men left in Hollywood who haven’t been accused of sexual harassment,” the Worcester native joked. “What the f—k is going on? It’s weird, right?”
Leary went on to say that he “didn’t know” about C.K.’s behavior prior to the recent news, but called his fellow comic’s actions “a f—king weird, creepy thing.”
“I love Louis. I’ve known Louis for a long f—king time. It’s f—king creepy,” Leary told the crowd. “I’m not going to stop being the guy’s f—king friend, but we’re going to have to have a long conversation.”
Leary did offer C.K. some praise for his apology statement, which he believed was a much better reaction to the situation than how actor Richard Dreyfuss handled his own sexual harassment controversy.
“Whatever you want to say about Louis, Louis f—king owned up,” Leary said. “He’s the only guy that’s owned up to the whole thing.”
Jeff Ross, who also talked about the recent scandals during his set, opened up to Metro about his thoughts on C.K. backstage before the start of Comics Come Home. The Boston University alum believes that some good can actually come out of the controversy.
“Louis’ young and has a lot to offer the world,” Ross said. “I feel like sometimes these things happen for a reason and there’s always a silver lining, even in the worst situations.”
The comedian hopes that C.K. can learn from his mistakes and transform himself into a champion on the issue of sexual harassment.
“People learn and they become champions,” Ross said. “Maybe the #MeToo movement has Louis by the balls right now, and maybe one day they’ll use him for something. I hate to think that somebody’s life would be over and their career would be over.”
Ross thinks Sen. Al Franken should receive a similar opportunity to bounce back from his own scandal as well, as the “Saturday Night Live” star turned politician has proven himself to be “a champion of so many important things.”
“Even good people do bad things sometimes,” Ross said. “Really smart people like Al, they learn from them and they’re enlightened and move forward a smarter person.”
“Once again, the #MeToo movement has Sen. Al by the nuts, and in a good way,” he added. “I think they should use him. They should make the most of this and use him for something, to be a champion.”
