Louis C.K. has released a statement addressing the allegations against him as published in the New York Times Thursday, admitting that the stories about him masturbating in front of women are true.
C.K. validates the accusers’ recounting of what happened to them, stating that while the incidents in question were somewhat consensual, there was a power imbalance that worked in his favor. “These stories are true,” he writes. “At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.”
In the statement, C.K. takes ownership of his actions and expresses remorse for how his actions affected the personal and professional lives of the people that have surrounded and “admired” him throughout the years. “I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want,” he writes. “I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”