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Louis C.K. has won six Emmy Awards and had 39 nominations
US comedian Louis C.K. (19459012)
He said he had "wielded power irresponsibly" and could hardly wrap his head around the "scope of hurt" he had caused them.
Four of the accusers told the New York Times he masturbated during interactions with them and a fifth said he had asked to do so.
The allegations led to the release of his new movie being scrapped.
I Love You Daddy - a comedy about an aging film director, played by John Malkovich, who has a reputation for getting embroiled with young women - was due to have been released in the US on November 17.
"These stories are true," Louis CK (19459012]
"The power I had over these women is that they admired me and I wielded that power irresponsibly."
] The comedian added that he regretted the hurt he had inflicted on the people he worked with, including his manager Dave Becky, his family, his friends, his children and their mother.
In Thursday's New York Times report four comediennes - Dana Min Goodman, Julia Wolov, Rebecca Corry and Abby Schachner - and a fifth woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, made allegations about the entertainer.
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Actresses Julia Wolov (left) and Dana Goodman in Hollywood in 2011
Goodman and Wolov said Louis C.K. stripped naked and masturbated after inviting them to his hotel room during the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in 2002.
Schachner said she called Louis C.K. in 2003 to invite him to one of her shows and was dumbfounded to realise during their phone conversation that he was masturbating. "I felt very ashamed," she told the New York Times.
A fifth woman, who was not inclined to be invited to the 1990s, while she was working in production on The Chris Rock Show.
Louis CK, who was a writer and producer on the show, repeatedly asked her to watch him perform a sex act, she said. "He abused his power," she said.
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Abby Schachner told the New York Times she felt "very ashamed"
Louis CK's planned appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was cancelled and HBO announced it would purge Louis CK's past projects from its On Demand service.
The cable TV network also said the comic would be no longer participate in a charity comedy special, Night of Too Many Stars, later this month.
On Thursday, a Los Angeles County district attorney Jackie Lacey announced a task force of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to address "the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in entertainment industry".
Louis C.K. statement in full (warning - contains explicit language)
"Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia Who is capable of name and person who did not.
"These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick is not a question. It's a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.
"I have been remained from my actions. actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would have put them in that position.
"I also took advantage of the fact that I was the admired in their community, which they are interested to share. (19459012)
"I do not think that I was doing any of that because of my position allow me not to think about it.
" I have to reconcile it with I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with.
"I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work.
"The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else." And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt. d be remiss to exclude the hurt that has been working on production, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets , The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I've brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. (19459012]
"I have spent my long life on my family, my friends and my mother.
" I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen.
"Thank you for reading."
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