Netflix has no qualms—at least publicly—about working with Louis C.K. nine years after cutting ties with him after he had admitted to sexual misconduct. But that was then, this is now, a time when Netflix is regularly platforming Tony Hinchcliffe. At this point, we imagine the powers that be at Netflix are saying aloud, why not add a little Louis?
And that’s exactly what the streamer is doing later this month. This morning, the streamer shared the first footage from Ridiculous, the stand-up special that it had first confirmed back when C.K. was announced to headline the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is A Joke festival. Based on the material presented in the first clip—which centers on C.K. putting his father in an assisted living facility because he became too weak to fight over it—the actual content of the special is unlikely to garner the kind of controversy that has deservedly followed work from Dave Chappelle or Kevin Hart’s roast. At first glance, C.K. doesn’t address any controversy (though we suppose he did that in his 2021 Madison Square Garden set). It looks like an attempt to return to business as usual in what Netflix’s press material describes as “a quintessential set that shows he’s still a legend of the standup world.” You can decide that for yourself on June 30—if you want to, anyway.
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