Louis CK, Accused of Masturbating in Front of Women, Is in Damage Control

Five women have come forward to describe experiences of sexual misconduct with Louis C.K. reports The New York Times.

Chicago comedy duo Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov are among the accusers; they claim that C.K. took out his penis and started masturbating in front of them in a hotel room in 2002. In 2003, Abby Schachner says she overheard the comedian masturbating as they spoke on the phone.

Comedian Rebecca Corry alleges that while she co-starred with him on a television pilot he asked if he could masturbate in front of her. The executive producers of the production, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, confirmed the incident. What happened to Rebecca on that set was awful," Cox wrote of the incident in an email, expressing her reaction of "outrage and shock."

"Louis is not going to answer any questions," Louis C.K.'s publicist Lewis Kay told the Times.

After the publication contacted C.K. and his representative about the graphic accusations, the premiere of his new movie I Love You Daddy was canceled. He also abruptly canceled an appearance to promote the film on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

C.K. has discussed and mimed masturbating in his stand up act -- which some of the accusers told the Times felt like a cover for his sexual misconduct off stage. In I Love You Daddy, a character pretends to masturbate at length in public while other characters defend that he's not a sexual predator.

Although outrageous behavior is de rigueur in the comedy world, the women felt C.K.'s behavior was abusive. "I think the line gets crossed when you take all your clothes off and start masturbating," Ms. Wolov told the Times.