What seemed like a benign weekend night out at one of New York’s most revered comedy clubs, the Comedy Cellar, turned into one of the most surprising and contentious comedy sets in recent memory with the return of controversial comedian Louis C.K. This was C.K.’s first show after his 10-month hiatus.

Although the show was, for the most part, positively received by the crowd at the Comedy Cellar, the news of his performance has sparked much criticism. Most notably, fellow comedians Aparna Nancherla, Ian Karmel and Allie Goertz, believe that the comedian never should have been given a second chance and stand with the #MeToo movement against him.   

Not only was his appearance criticized, but some of his comedic material was as well, most notably his supposed joke comparing the phrase “clean as a whistle” to rape whistles. This, according to Vulture.com, caused many of the women in the crowd to feel uncomfortable. Others described it as “disgusting,” as they thought the overall positive reaction from the crowd was “just depressing.”

The Comedy Cellar was also criticized for letting C.K. appear at the club and for not making the crowd, or anyone involved with the community, aware of his presence. The club owner, Noah Dworman, refused to take credit for the surprise set.

According to his interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Dworman claimed that he was asleep during the performance and was unaware of C.K.’s presence at the comedy club. He claims that the performance garnered a standing ovation and that he received only one complaint and many positive reviews from the crowd that night.

He believes the biggest issue with the situation is that C.K. seemed to gloss over the sexual misconduct and never spoke of it directly, saying, “I think that was a missed opportunity for him. I think that for a man who signed off from the public with this promise to, ‘I’ve talked for a long time, now I’m going to listen,’ he created the expectation of, well now you’re back after nine months, what did you learn?”

This is not the first time the club has been the topic of controversy, as comedian Aziz Ansari returned to comedy at the club after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

The real question that seems to be weighing on the minds of many is whether it is too early for C.K. to return to comedy. Should he be allowed to perform ever again? Those questions are obviously ones for which we will never get a clear and definite answer. They will, however, be talked about and debated heavily, especially in a time when misconduct and misogyny are being condemned more than ever.

Image from ABC News via YouTube.com