Sarah Silverman asks the difficult question

In the opening monologue this week for I Love You, America, Sarah Silverman’s new talk show, she asks: “Can you love someone who did bad things?” She’s referring, of course, to comedian Louis C.K., who was recently added to the list of Hollywood men outed for sexual misconduct (which he’s admitted is true). Silverman and C.K. have been friends for a long time, and you can hear the unease, sorrow, and empathy in her delivery. “I love Louie,” she says, “but Louie did these things. Both of those statements are true.”

I get where she’s coming from. Louis C.K. is one of my favorite comedians, and it’s heartbreaking to hear the stories of his abuse of power over women. Rightfully so, C.K. has been dropped by Netflix, FX, HBO, and his movie release has been cancelled. It’s hard to see how he’d come back from this, but still, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss Louis C.K. I agree with Silverman when she closes her monologue with: “I hope it’s okay if I am at once very angry for the women he wronged and also sad, because he’s my friend. But this moment in time is essential: we need to be better.” It’s a nice rallying cry that lingers after Silverman’s speech is finished. It’s a sympathetic and, more so, honest monologue, which I appreciated.

Silverman’s new show, by the way, is very much worth the watch. It’s not quite a talk show or a standup showcase – it’s more a weird melting pot of funny bits, interviews, and on-the-road segments a la The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight. Silverman’s goal, she says, is to “seek out people whose point of view and day-to-day experiences differ wildly from hers,” which, as the AV Club puts it, “feels like an assignment Silverman got from her therapist.” Still, the five episodes released thus far feel honest, sincere, and very funny. I Love You, America airs Thursdays on Hulu.

The Crimes of Johnny Depp

The first promo image has been released for the second Fantastic Beasts movie, The Grimes of Grindelwald (which is essentially a Potter prequel) and it prominently features Johnny Depp, who plays lead villain Grindelwald in this new series. Depp, who famously faced allegations of abuse from ex-wife Amber Heard last year, has not seen the same fallout as other Hollywood counterparts, which leaves many Harry Potter fans angry about his prominent role in this film. “The core of the Harry Potter fandom is a community that preaches tolerance, love, and equality,” a response published on Mashable claims.

It does seem a bit odd that Potter author JK Rowling, who’s been very vocal about equality and human rights on her Twitter account, hasn’t had anything to say about the allegations or Depp’s role in the franchise.

This could all simply be, as depressing as this sounds, about timing: because Heard’s allegations came pre-Weinstein, Johnny Depp seems to have escaped the backlash engulfing those who came after. It could be that Warner Bros is hoping fans might just move on, as the whiplash nature of our news cycle tends to compel us to forget about anything that hasn’t happened in the last 48 hours. But here’s the thing: fans won’t forget. Many have planned boycotts on the franchise and are publicly calling Rowling out. It’s an unfortunate thing to happen to a series I love so dearly, that has personally shaped my twenties and introduced me to close friends. It’s just fundamentally weird to think that Harry Potter is tainted by something like this.

Again, we must ask: Can you still love someone who did bad things?

header image: "untitled," jamison foser / flickr