Early this week, the founder of Improv Olympic (iO), one of the most important comedy theaters in the country, inadvertently lit a fire under the Chicago comedy community’s ass.

After comedian Beth Stelling came forward on her Instagram in late December with photos of bruises and stories of alleged rape and abuse by another comedian, a man named Cale Hartmann, the response from the comedy community has been solid: women especially have made statements of unequivocal support for Stelling, and…

In late December, comedian Beth Stelling alleged via Instagram that she had been raped and abused by her ex-boyfriend but refused to name him. The man in question, a comedian named Cale Hartmann, has since been identified.

On Monday, comedian Beth Stelling revealed via Instagram that she had been raped, as well as verbally and physically abused by her ex-boyfriend.