Louis CK Isn't Actually Broke Despite Everyone Saying He Is
HR- Louis C.K. says reports of him being in the poor house have been greatly exaggerated. During an interview on Bill Simmons’ podcast on Wednesday, the comedian talked about his web series, Horace and Pete, and said that while creating and producing the show put him in debt, it’s not as though he is penniless. “I’m so not broke,” C.K. told Simmons. “It’s kind of crazy to see how wrong it gets and to see how far that wrongness spreads.” During an interview with Howard Stern earlier this month, C.K. said his series, which sprung online without notice in January and concluded April 2, left him millions in debt. Well, that is true, he told Simmons, but most TV shows carry debt, he clarified. “I didn’t lose money, I invested money,” said C.K. “I own a complete series. It’s an enormous asset and it’s mine forever.”
Alright so this story finally makes sense. Last week every single news outlet was claiming that Louis CK was completely broke because he spent all his money on his TV show “Horace and Pete” It seemed weird to me but I believed the stories because I didn’t read the actual stories. I do what everyone does and just reads the headlines and assumes them to be true. Well CK went on Bill Simmons’ podcast yesterday* and cleared the air. Louis CK is not broke. Not even close actually. He simply invested a shit ton of his own money into the show that he is going to get back ten fold. Think about it. He made a show with zero marketing budget and the show is all his. He owns it. He gets every penny of the profit that comes in. The show is getting rave reviews and selling like hot cakes. During the podcast he says he’s already made back half the money he put in. And eventually he’ll go to Netflix or Hulu or whatever streaming service he wants and say, “Give me (multimillion dollar figure amount) and you can stream this show on your service forever.” So no, Louis CK is not broke and never will be. He’s actually better off cause he bucked the system and did it his own way.
*Whatever your thoughts on Bill Simmons are, his podcasts with Louis CK are always top notch. Some of the best podcasts Simmons has ever done. I think they’ve done 3 or 4 of them at this this point. CK is smart and thoughtful and he and Simmons bring out the best in each other. I’m also a Simmons fan and have read him forever. The man is a great writer.