Artie Lange might have his own personal issues to grapple with, but a history of sexual misconduct is apparently not one of them — and he has little to no sympathy for his colleagues in the comedy world who have been accused of inappropriate behavior.
In an interview with The Daily Beast published Tuesday, Howard Stern alum Lange tore into “Master of None” star Aziz Ansari and “Louie” star Louis C.K., who have recently faced accusations of sexual untoward behavior.
“Aziz ‘I’m sorry’ is a better name,” Lange said of the “Master of None” star, who earlier this month was accused by an anonymous woman of behaving disrespectfully and aggressively pressuring her for sex during a date. “I don’t have any respect for Aziz Ansari. I’m glad nobody got raped. But you know, I agree with Samantha Bee when she says it doesn’t have to be rape to ruin somebody’s life.”
As for C.K., Lange called his actions “despicable” and “the creepiest thing ever.”
“That was a rumor for a long time. But if you’re a couple of women at the Aspen Comedy Festival, you’ve got a lot going on, probably. And there’s this comedian, who back then he wasn’t famous, but he’s always been respected, and they certainly knew him. And he’s promising them s— supposedly, and it’s just because he wants to jerk off in front of them. It’s just the creepiest thing ever,” Lange assessed.
In a column for the website Babe published earlier this month, Ansari’s anonymous accuser said that the comedian engaged in sexual misconduct despite “verbal and non-verbal cues” that she was “uncomfortable and distressed.”
Ansari said in a statement that the encounter was “by all indications was completely consensual,” but that he “took her words to heart” after she told him in a text that she was uncomfortable and upset about the encounter. Ansari also said “I continue to support the movement that is happening in our culture. It is necessary and long overdue.”
Louis C.K., meanwhile, admitted to misdeeds after he was accused of sexual misconduct in a New York Times article by five women. According to the Times article, the comedian masturbated in front of two women in his hotel room after their show at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2012.
For his part, Lange said that he has never been confronted by a woman with an accusation of sexual misconduct, though he allowed that “some people think I’m a misogynist because of stuff on the Stern show.”
“Any woman who’s ever dated me will tell you, I’m like, ‘Are you sure? Can we get this in writing and an email from you?’” Lange added.