Grammys 2022 viewers in uproar as Louis CK wins Best Comedy Album: ‘Proof that cancel culture is fake’
Comedian was disgraced in 2017 after admitting to sexual misconduct
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Grammys viewers were in uproar as disgraced comedian Louis CK was announced as the winner of the award for Best Comedy Album.
The 54-year-old was a controversial nominee at this year’s ceremony. Audience members watching the live event expressed their astonishment over the fact that he won the prize.
CK temporarily stopped performing in 2017 after he was accused of multiple instances of sexual misconduct.
The comedian admitted to his wrongdoing, which involved exposing himself and masturbating in front of several female comedians and writers.
“These stories are true”, Louis CK said in a statement at the time, adding: “I’ve brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother.”
“The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly,” he said.
After a brief hiatus from the spotlight, he made his return to stand-up comedy, including embarking on a national tour in 2021.
He reportedly performed with a giant sign saying “SORRY” during a number of his shows. His comedy album, Sincerely, Louis CK, was released in 2020.
“Louis CK, who masturbated in front of women without consent, then had their careers derailed, just won Best Comedy Album at the Grammys,” journalist David M Perry tweeted, sharing a link to an article questioning whether the #MeToo movement was “too big”.
He added: “We are nowhere close to a reckoning on sexual misconduct, even just in the narrow slice of professional contexts.”
“Louis CK just won a Grammy, in case you were still crying about cancel culture,” producer and writer Carina Mackenzie tweeted.
“Louis CK just won a whole ass Grammy while y’all are either calling for Will Smith’s head or crying about cancel culture. There are no consequences for white cishet men,” columnist Dr Mia Brett remarked.
“Don’t anyone complain about cancel culture ever again,” another audience member commented.
The Recording Academy’s CEO responded to the controversial Grammy nomination for CK last year, telling US media that the Recording Academy did not take the personal histories of potential nominees in to account when determining eligibility.
CEO Harvey Mason Jr said: “We won’t restrict the people who can submit their material for consideration. We won’t look back at people’s history, we won’t look at their criminal record, we won’t look at anything other than the legality within our rules of, is this recording for this work eligible based on date and other criteria. If it is, they can submit for consideration.”
Follow live updates from the Grammy Awards here. See the updated list of winners in full here.