Louis C.K. Under Fire For Allegedly Plagiarizing Sketch From ‘Extremely Disappointed’ Comedian Tig Notaro


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Louis C.K. is the latest A-list comedian to get pinged for alleged plagiarism for his “Birthday Clown” short that was featured on Saturday Night Live.

Writer/director Tig Notaro has come forward to claim that C.K.’s skit closely resembled that of her Kickstarter-funded series called “Clown Service” and that a a writer and director who “was fully aware” of her project worked on C.K.’s piece for the show, according to Page Six.

Notaro says she finds the SNL short “extremely disappointing” also says that she has “not communicated in any way for nearly a year and a half” with C.K. nor given permission to use anything from her short film. It’s odd that Tig hasn’t spoke to C.K. in so long considering he’s an executive producer on her project “One Mississippi” and his company, Pig Newton, Inc., produces the show.

The two sketches have similarities–as both projects the comedians order a clown to their home to cheer them up–but the endings are entirely different.

Regardless, in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Notaro addressed the squabble.

“It has been impossible for me to ignore the cacophony of voices reaching out personally and publicly about the potential plagiarizing of my film ‘Clown Service’ (a film that I screened at Largo in Los Angeles for over a year and it premiered at Vulture’s Comedy Festival in NYC as well as numerous film festivals around the country and I am currently screening on my national tour).

While I don’t know how all this actually happened, I did find it extremely disappointing.

Here is what I can tell you:

First off, I have recently learned that a writer/director who was fully aware of “Clown Service” when I was making it, actually worked on Louis C.K.’s clown sketch that is in question.

Secondly, Louis C.K. and I have not communicated in any way for nearly a year and a half.

And finally, I never gave anyone permission to use anything from my film.

I hesitated to even address any of this, but I think it is only right to defend my work and ideas and moving forward, I plan to continue screening ‘Clown Service’ with the joy and pride I always have.”

What do you think, bros? Does Tig have a point here?

Tig’s Clown Service:

Louis’ SNL short:

Chalk it up to a win for Tig, whose short film has likely garnered tens of thousands of eyes since the controversy.

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.