It's comeback season for disgraced showbiz stars. So how are we going to handle it? On Sunday night, comedian Louis CK returned to his roots at a standup club in New York City for his first live set since he apologized for misconduct with several women (he got a standing ovation). In the past couple of weeks, Kevin Spacey's movie hit theatres (his reception was extremely chilly), Matt Lauer reportedly assured some fans, "Don't worry, I'll be back on TV," and #MeToo implicated stars Mario Batali, Jeremy Piven and Charlie Rose have all started plotting their next moves as well.
Ten months ago, #MeToo had problematic men in the entertainment industry exiting stage right under clouds of outrage and shame—some vowing to do better in the future, some just running for the door. Now it appears many of them feel their time in the corner is over. Why? You could ask them, but most of them aren't talking. They'd prefer to just get back to work. Should their industries welcome them back? Which ones? Why some and not others? What does a sincere apology even look like these days?!
FLARE.com's Stacy Lee Kong has covered #MeToo as both a reporter and editor since the movement took the entertainment industry by storm last fall. She explains how far we've come and how far we still have to go.
Audio credits: Louis CK, MSNBC, AP