Why an ex 'Inside Amy Schumer' writer is being mauled by a 'social media mob'

Disclosure: Sophie Hirsh, one of the writers of this piece, is also currently a student at the Upright Citizens Brigade.

Comedian Amy Schumer is supposed to be celebrating the release of her new book this week, but on Wednesday, the writer and actor tweeted a very different kind of message.

Schumer had recently come under attack after a former staff writer for Inside Amy Schumer, Kurt Metzger, posted a series of inflammatory remarks on social media over the weekend. Metzger had criticized social media users for quickly condemning Aaron Glaser, a comedian who had been banned from the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), New York’s largest comedy school, over sexual assault allegations.

Metzger's posts, which he later admitted were inflammatory, included provocative comments about rape victims and their process of coming forward. For his part, Glaser has denied the sexual assault allegations.

SEE ALSO: Male sexual assault victims on TV are changing how people think about the crime

On Wednesday, Schumer called Metzger a friend but made clear that the writer’s views did not represent her own.

“I am so saddened and disappointed in Kurt Metzger. He is my friend, a great writer and I couldn’t be more against his recent actions,” Schumer wrote on Twitter. 

Metzger both wrote and acted on dozens of episodes of Inside Amy Schumer, Schumer's Comedy Central show, from 2013 to 2016.

When Schumer’s Twitter followers continued to ask why she still employed Metzger, Schumer responded by saying: “Kurt does not work for me. He is not a writer on my show. Please stop asking me about it. His words are not mine.”

Later in the evening, Schumer came out with a pair of cryptic tweets:

She has since clarified that she is breaking from the show for a comedy tour, but she has not said specifically when the show would return nor if Metzger would be on staff. 

In a clip from an interview with Charlie Rose posted to YouTube Thursday, Schumer said the show isn't expected to return in the "near future," adding that the reason Metzger was hired was because he added a different perspective to the writer's room.

"We butt heads, we get in fights because he infuriates us," Schumer said. "We don't want it to just be one-sided ... It feels very positive to have someone saying, well this is from the male perspective."

In January, Comedy Central announced that the show had been renewed for another season. In October 2015, Schumer announced that Metzger had been promoted to producer. The show has yet to respond to Mashable's request for comment.

How did this all start?

After UCB's announcement went viral on Saturday, Metzger made a series of Facebook posts, some of which received upwards of 200 likes, accusing some comedians in the community of conducting a witch hunt targeting Glaser. By Wednesday, Metzger complained on Facebook that Glaser's critics had turned their focus to him. 

"My punishment the mob is howling for is now officially more severe than the one for the actual rapist," he wrote, adding, "I realize that when emotions are running high, it might not be the time to aggressively philosophize on a sensitive topic. I stand by the points I made, but I sincerely apologize for using inflammatory language to make them." 

The comedian had condemned social media users for relying UCB's investigation as opposed to a criminal case. He also criticized people who don't take their complaints of sexual assault to the police. 

It is unknown if the women Glaser allegedly assaulted reported him to authorities, as all have chosen to remain anonymous. 

While there are many reasons women might choose not to report sexual assault to the police, some victims contact authorities at where the attack took place or they met their attacker to inform them of the assault and perhaps seek some kind of resolution. 

Image: bobby bank/getty

UCB ban

Metzger’s comments followed a turbulent weekend for the Uprights Citizens Brigade, after the theater announced it would be banning Glaser, a standup comedian who, up until now, hosted a monthly show at UCB in New York. 

Glaser was banned on charges of sexual assault by an unknown number of women in the comedy community. Shortly after the ban, Glaser made two Facebook posts in response, both of which claimed his innocence. He has since taken them down.

"I know these are serious accusations, and I know they are untrue," Glaser wrote in a post that was screenshotted and shared with Mic.

Byron A. Divins Jr., Glaser's attorney, told Mashable that UCB's decision to ban Glaser was made "without speaking to him."

"They did not give him the opportunity to find out who made the accusations or what the accusations were," Divins told Mashable over the phone.   

UCB, which was cofounded by Amy Poehler, has produced impressive alumni and often has famous comedians drop in to perform (Schumer is among them, as are Louis CK and Chris Rock).

Its improv school is a nationally accredited training program, and UCB is known as something of a breeding ground for comedic actors in New York. Many students and performers have devoted their lives to pursuing comedy, and the community wields extensive cultural influence. While getting banned from an improv theater may sound trivial to an outsider, to a practicing comedian like Glaser, it can have lasting professional consequences.

Though UCB published no official release regarding Glaser, the news of the ban broke after the theater's director of student affairs made the announcement via Facebook, according to the Revelist. The post quickly went viral and was shared on multiple comedians' private and public Facebook pages. Many shared sentiments to show their support of victims such as "I believe you," while some posted angry comments on Glaser's Facebook wall.

Raina Falcon, a spokesperson for UCB, told Mashable in an email:

After word got out that UCB had banned Glaser, other comedy venues followed suit. Rebecca Trent, owner of The Creek and The Cave in New York commended UCB and banned Glaser as well. 

Comedians applaud UCB, criticize Schumer 

Some women in the comedy community said UCB’s decision to ban Glaser was justified – even comforting. 

“I think UCB responded empathetically and appropriately to a man who has been accused of raping multiple women over several years,” Rachel McKay Steele, 31, a student at UCB told Mashable in an email. “They are sending a message that they will not tolerate sexual assault in this community.”

While it's unclear what, if any, legal consequences Glaser will face, other UCB students were happy to see that the school responded swiftly to the allegations.

“What I see is a privately run theatre that went through their own system of due process and decided that an individual, with multiple, justified claims against him was a threat to the company and its community,” said Maggie Widdoes, 26, an improv house team performer at UCB. 

Fans of Inside Amy Schumer initially criticized Schumer for not being more proactive in disavowing Metzger, who showed disdain for Glaser's critics and even egged them on.

"At what point does the Jackie from UVA lesson kick in? Well I hope UCB gets sued and not only that," he wrote on Facebook, "the fucker did it and UCB still has to pay. How you like me now?"

In a separate post, Metzger went after women who didn't encourage victims to reach out to the police first.

"Pull your heads out of your c*nts and your c*nts out of your blogs, and try actually helping victims instead of spotlighting how unique and enlightened you are for being against rape," Metzger wrote on Facebook. 

Though it remains unclear whether Metzger will be a writer for Inside Amy Schumer when the show goes back into production, some fans criticized the comedian for hiring Metzger three years ago after writers complained of harassment on Twitter. 

In 2013, Metzger was accused of harassing feminist writers on Twitter including Sady Doyle and Lindy West. Both women accused him of making impersonator accounts on various social platforms and sending them lurid, photoshopped images of themselves.

When fans reignited their criticism of Metzger on Twitter and directed their comments at Schumer, some reported that Schumer responded by blocking them.

Image: lily du/twitter

Feminist media responds

Both UCB’s ban of Glaser, as well as Metzger’s inflammatory response, stirred up controversy on social media. On Reductress, a women’s satirical magazine, the site changed their homepage to focus on articles that satirized rape culture.

“Chill ways to just sort of live with it,” read one headline. “Most women lie about witch hunts,” read another. And, seemingly in direct response to Metzger’s case: “This brave man hates social media witch hunts so much he decided to start his own.”

Image: reductress

Moving forward

As more about the allegations and Metzger's responses came to light, some comedians tried to pave a positive way forward. 

Even Metzger himself explained on Facebook that he wanted to see justice for the victims while still maintaining due process for those accused:

"I was talking to the perennial social media mob who, without knowing victim or accused, GLEEFULLY want to be part of social mob justice. Some of whom are my friends ... No one sees that down the road, next time we might get it wrong," Metzger wrote.

Other comedians went down a slightly different path, and explored how the dialogue around rape culture was beginning to change. 

“I think what needs to happen is already starting now ... women are forming supportive networks and realizing they aren't alone when someone in the community has been assaulted or abused,” Sarah Pappalardo, co-founder and editor of Reductress, told Mashable over email.

Whatever happens to Glaser or to Metzger or to Schumer's show, the incidents have sparked a meaningful conversation within the comedy community.