Earlier this year, comedian Tig Notaro told the Daily Beast she wished fellow stand-up and executive producer of her Amazon show (One Mississippi) Louis C.K. would “handle†the sexual-harassment rumors that have trailed him in recent years. (C.K. has dismissed the allegations as “just rumors.â€) The most recent season of Notaro’s series also features a scene that seems to mimic an apparently very prevalent sexual-harassment scenario (as allegations against Harvey Weinstein suggest): A male superior subverts a professional scenario by masturbating in front of a female employee. Last night on Late Show, Stephen Colbert asked Notaro to weigh in on the seemingly changing tide that has taken out Weinstein, Roger Ailes, and Bill O’Reilly. Notaro, for one, is cautiously optimistic. “I feel like there is hope. I feel like it’s cracking the glass,†she said.
According to the Amazon star, the key to ending the entertainment industry’s pervasive culture of sexual harassment and assault is for people to discuss their experiences, as dozens of actresses and former employees have now done following revelations of Weinstein’s alleged history of sexual assault. “It’s happening. Your heroes, your people you work with, family members, you have to believe people when they come forward. And even people that haven’t come forward yet,†the comedian explains. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of people in positions of power who will continue to take advantage of women: “There are still sports figures, stand-up comedians, political figures. They’re everywhere.†Says Notaro, “I just really hope people will not drop the ball. It’s such an exciting thing that these abusers are actually being taken down.â€