As more and more projects get shelved or delayed or generally tarnished by their connections to recently outed sexual predators — whether because of allegations or verified reports — content creators are having to reckon with work they’ve created in conjunction with controversial figures. Dave Becky, for example, is a producer on Broad City, and he has fielded troubling press for helping his former client, Louis C.K., sweep sexual-harassment claims under the rug. The show’s creators and stars, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, talked on SiriusXM’s Entertainment Weekly Radio about how that association affects their series going forward.
Jacobson said that even though Becky does not manage them, it was an “upsetting thing to find out his involvement in the whole thing, and so it’s definitely something that we are kind of constantly talking about right now.†Glazer added, “And also, we take accountability for using this white-dude power to get our show on TV. We’re accountable for that. We’re not accountable for Louie’s actions, for Becky’s actions, but we are accountable for using his power to get our show on TV.â€
When the accusations of sexual misconduct against C.K. were confirmed by none other than Louis C.K., Becky, the comedian’s former manager, came under fire for his role in either downplaying allegations or outright discrediting women who talked about what C.K. had done to them. After C.K. admitted to masturbating in front of multiple women without their consent, his management company dropped him as a client and Becky issued an apology. “I profoundly regret and am deeply sorry for not listening to and not understanding what happened,†he said to Julia Wolov and Dana Min Goodman, who went on the record with their stories in the New York Times. He has since been fired by C.K.’s frequent collaborator, Pamela Adlon, but no reports of him being let go by other talent have become public.