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Louis C.K. performs on stage as The New York Comedy Festival and The Bob Woodruff Foundation present the 10th Annual Stand Up for Heroes event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2016 in New York City.
Addiction author Anna David suggested Louis CK could undo some of the damage he’s done by following step nine of Alcoholics Anonymous’ twelve steps by “making amends” for his actions, and seek forgiveness from those he wronged
“Afterwards comes the ‘living amends’ where we commit to not doing whatever it was to anyone else again,” she added.
Candice Blain, managing attorney at Blain LLC, told CNBC that Szekely — or any other celebrity accused of sexual misconduct — would need to demonstrate his remorse through concrete action.
This could include making a charitable donation to a survivor’s organization, speaking at college campuses about sexual assault, or lobbying congress for greater protections against abuse.
“The celebrity would need to back up any stated contrition with an observable commitment to helping to effectuate change,” she said. “The celebrity would need to ‘switch teams’— essentially they would have to move from aiding societal abuse to undoing it.”
Szekely was never accused of touching anyone, which has prompted some to downplay his actions. His defenders include fellow comedian Dave Chappelle, who said in a January Netflix special that C.K.’s accusers were “weak” and had a “brittle spirit.”
Brooke Norton, LMFT, a clinical associate at Northampton Sex Therapy Associates, LLC, took issue with this observation.
“These incidents have an impact,” Norton said. “In some folks, it might look like a PTSD kind of response… some folks develop phobias, somatic pain or disorders of control that they might not understand, but stem from traumatic incidents.”
While it’s too soon to say whether Louis C.K. can return from “Me Too” exile, Anna David acknowledged that it’s entirely possible, even if he disregards all the experts’ advice.
“We’re a build-’em-up and tear-’em-down culture that tends to have a very short memory,” she said. “I think if people think they can make money off a celebrity, they will provide a way for that person to come back.”
