Louis C.K. addresses accusations of sexual misconduct: 'These stories are true'

Louis C.K. broke his silence on the sexual misconduct allegations against him with a statement on Friday.

The comedian's statement comes one day after the New York Times published a bombshell report about his past behavior in which five different women recalled their experiences with C.K. pressuring them to watch or listen while he masturbated.

SEE ALSO: Louis C.K.’s ‘I Love You, Daddy’ release scrapped amid misconduct allegations

"These stories are true," he wrote in a statement. "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 isn't 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."

On Friday, independent film company The Orchard announced that it would be scrapping plans to release C.K.'s latest film, "I Love You, Daddy," in theaters next week. Netflix also dropped his comedy special.

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"I have been remorseful of my actions," he continued. "And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I'm aware of the extent of the impact of my 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 never have put them in that position."

"I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled from from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it.

"There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for," he went on. "And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with."

"I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work," he continued.

The comedian went on to apologize to the cast and crew that he's worked with on a variety of projects currently in production, naming "Better Things," "Baskets," "The Cops," "One Mississippi" and "I Love You, Daddy." He also apologized to his manager, Dave Becky, who he says he "brought negative attention to" because of his actions.

"I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want," he finished. "I will now step back and take a long time to listen."

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