
FILE – In this June 25, 2016 file photo, Louis C.K. attends the premiere of “The Secret Life of Pets” in New York. The New York premiere Thursday of Louis C.K.’s controversial new film “I Love You, Daddy” has been cancelled amid swirling controversy over the film and the comedian. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on sexual harassment and abuse allegations against men in the entertainment and media industries (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
HBO says Louis C.K. will not appear on its upcoming autism benefit show “Night of Too Many Stars.”
The cable network also says it is removing all of C.K.’s past projects from its on demand services.
The move came hours after The New York Times detailed five women’s allegations of sexual misconduct by the comedian. A representative for C.K. had no immediate comment on the allegations.
The small distribution company that is handling the release of Louis C.K.’s film “I Love You, Daddy” said Thursday that it is reviewing the situation and giving careful consideration to the timing and release of the film.
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6:55 p.m.
Los Angeles prosecutors say they’ve launched a task force to evaluate allegations of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry.
District Attorney Jackie Lacey says in a statement Thursday that the task force will include specially trained prosecutors who will evaluate cases once they are referred to the district attorney’s office for prosecution.
She says the task force is comprised of veteran sex crimes prosecutors who will review cases as they come in.
But Lacey says so far there have been no cases sent to the DA’s office for criminal charges.
Lacey said earlier Thursday that her office was in touch with Los Angeles police and police in Beverly Hills as they investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing against Harvey Weinstein. She declined to comment further on the status of the investigations.
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6 p.m.
The Television Academy says it stands by women making allegations of sexual misconduct, though it is not commenting specifically about allegations against Louis C.K.
In a statement Thursday after a New York Times report in which several women accuse the comedian of sexual misconduct, the academy says that all television professionals deserve to be “treated with dignity and respect, free of predatory harassment.”
C.K., the Emmy-winning star of FX’s “Louie,” is among the latest Hollywood figures to be accused of misconduct in a wave that began when dozens of sexual harassment allegations were reported last month against film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
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4:15 p.m.
The small distribution company that is handling the release of Louis C.K.’s film “I Love You Daddy” says that it is reviewing the situation and giving careful consideration to the timing and release of the film.
The Orchard released a statement Thursday after a New York Times story reported the accounts of five women alleging sexual misconduct from C.K. The film had been set for a limited theatrical release on Nov. 17.
The statement also said there is never a place for the behavior detailed in the allegations.
Earlier in the day, the company canceled the New York premiere of the film. The Orchard acquired C.K.’s film at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year for $5 million.
In the film, C.K. plays a successful TV producer whose 17-year-old daughter begins a relationship with an older director. It spawns a kind of crisis for C.K.’s character, who has his own issues with how he treats women.
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3:00 p.m.
The New York Times has published a story about Louis C.K. in which several women accuse the comedian of sexual misconduct, including masturbating in front of them.
A publicist for C.K. did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Another publicist told the Times the comedian would not respond to their reporting.
Five women — including comedians Dana Min Goodman, Abby Schachner, Julia Wolov and Rebecca Corry — allege C.K. either masturbated in front of them, asked to do so or did so over the phone.
The Emmy-winning star of FX’s “Louie” is known for his candid, warts-and-all personal humor, which also involves bodily fluids and sex.
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1:15 p.m.
The New York premiere of Louis C.K.’s controversial new film “I Love You, Daddy” has been canceled amid swirling controversy over the film and the comedian.
The distribution company The Orchard said in a statement that the Thursday cancellation was “due to unexpected circumstances.” C.K.’s scheduled Friday appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” also has been scrapped.
The Woody Allen-esque film tells the story of a successful TV writer-producer that attempts to stop his 17-year-old daughter’s growing admiration and relationship with a 68-year-old filmmaker.
Allegations of questionable sexual behavior have long dogged C.K and he said this summer that he and co-writer Vernon Chatman wanted to make a movie about beloved artists who are trailed by murmurs of scandal.
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10:15 a.m.
Director Alfonso Arau is dismissing Debra Messing’s charge that he demeaned her on the set of her first film, “A Walk in the Clouds.”
He accused the “Will & Grace” star of “following fashion” with her accusation but that it had “nothing to do with reality.” He added that she owed him her career because he picked her from “many, many” actresses.
Messing spoke up in February about her experience on the movie, a romance released in 1995 co-starring Keanu Reeves.
She had said that Arau and producers had surprised her with a nude scene that she hadn’t agreed to in advance. When she complained, she says he told her, “Your job is to get naked and to say the lines. That’s it.”
Arau spoke Wednesday at the premiere of Disney-Pixar’s “Coco.” The 85-year-old actor and director voices the character of Papa Julio in the film.
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7:30 a.m.
“Prison Break” star Robert Knepper is denying allegations that he forced himself on a costume designer in 1992.
Designer Susan Bertram told The Hollywood Reporter that Knepper sexually assaulted her while filming “Gas Food Lodging.” She alleges he grabbed her and pushed her against a wall in the actor’s trailer. She says she managed to escape.
Knepper responded to Bertram’s allegations on Instagram, saying “I am shocked and devastated to be falsely accused of violence against a woman. That’s just not who I am.”
Knepper is the among the latest Hollywood figures to be accused of misconduct in a wave that began when dozens of sexual harassment allegations were reported last month against film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
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2:30 a.m.
Kevin Spacey is getting cut out of Ridley Scott’s finished film “All the Money in the World” and replaced by Christopher Plummer just over one month before it’s supposed to hit theaters.
People close to the production who were not authorized to speak publicly say Plummer is commencing reshoots immediately in the role of J. Paul Getty. According to the report, all of Spacey scenes will be reshot. Co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams are expected to participate.
Scott is intending to keep the film’s Dec. 22 release date.
The film was originally set to have its world premiere at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles on Nov. 16 but was pulled earlier this week amid the sexual harassment reports surrounding Spacey.
Spacey has also been fired from “House of Cards.”