SAUGUS — A year after admitting to sexual misconduct allegations made by five women, Louis C.K. continued his comeback attempt with a surprise standup set at Giggles Comedy Club on Saturday night.
Club owner Mike Clarke and another well-known comedian who performed, Christine Hurley, said the set went well and and the crowd reacted positively. He was a little apprehensive about how it would go, but there was no negativity.
Clarke said C.K. was in town visiting relatives and asked if he could do a set at Giggles. Already slated to perform that night was Clarke’s brother, Lenny Clarke, the comedian whom the franchise is built around, Hurley and Mitch Stinson, another regular who also hosted.
The show was nearly sold out and the crowd was unaware C.K. was performing until he was introduced by Lenny Clarke. C.K. has never appeared at Giggles, but had worked for Mike Clarke about 30 years ago.
“He’s been a friend for a long time and I believe people deserve a second chance,” Mike Clarke said. “I think he is contrite about what happened. He wasn’t arrested for any crime. He’s trying to get his life back and I was there as a friend for him and it went well.
Clarke said C.K. hasn’t worked regularly doing standup in more than a year since admitting to sexual misconduct. The positive crowd reaction was a switch from the mixed reviews an audience gave him when he performed a surprise set at New York City’s Comedy Cellar three weeks ago.
Hurley followed C.K.’s set and closed out the show. The 55-year-old Plymouth resident performs weekly at Giggles and said Clarke had asked her before the show if she was OK with the surprise guest.
She said she was “absolutely” OK with following C.K., although she’s not happy about what he did. Two of her daughters have been sexually assaulted in the past five years.
“He did a bad thing, but I think he does deserve redemption,” Hurley said. “He didn’t hurt anybody. He hurt people emotionally, but he didn’t physically hurt anyone.”
Although Hurley thinks C.K. deserves a shot, she said he could have taken a little more time before attempting a comeback. In the Boston comedy world, she said the opinion is about 50/50 with people who want him to come back.
