One of the sketches Louis did during his fourth time hosting 'Saturday Night Live' gets him in trouble as it's being criticized as a straight up rip-off of Tig's short film titled 'Clown Service'.
- Apr 11, 2017
AceShowbiz - Louis C.K. and "Saturday Night Live" are in hot water over one of Louis' skits on the NBC show during his fourth time hosting on Saturday, April 8. One of his funny skits, which features him as a depressed man hiring a clown for his birthday, is criticized as a rip-off of comedian Tig Notaro's 2015 short film titled "Clown Service".
In the "SNL" sketch titled "Birthday Clown", Louis ordered a birthday clown (Bobby Moynihan) to entertain him, only him, for his birthday. Fans noticed that the skit was awfully similar to "Clown Service", although the two offered different endings. While "Clown Service" saw a happy ending, Louis' sketch opted for a creepy ending. The skit ended with Louis promising Bobby's clown into the kitchen so he can chop the clown up into little pieces and put him in the fridge.
Although Tig didn't make a direct response to the matter, she reposted a video of her short film on her Twitter account on Sunday, April 9. "Here is my short film CLOWN SERVICE. Shown @LargoLosAngeles and on tour, premiered @vulturefestival in NYC," she wrote.
Here is my short film CLOWN SERVICE. Shown @LargoLosAngeles and on tour, premiered @vulturefestival in NYC: https://t.co/FZz4xyJr9G
— TIG NOTARO (@TigNotaro) April 10, 2017
Several Twitter users expressed their anger on the microblogging site, calling the skit a "straight up rip-off" of Tig's work. @chp35mm wrote, "What's with Louie CK doing Tig's clown bit on @nbcsnl? Straight up rip-off." Another Twitter user said, "Watching #SNL like...this clown sketch, it's almost like I've seen it before. Oh wait I have when Tig Notaro made a short 'Clown Service'."
What's with Louie CK doing Tig's clown bit on @nbcsnl? Straight up rip-off.
— cynthia hall (@chp35mm) April 9, 2017
Watching #SNL like...this clown sketch, it's almost like I've seen it before. Oh wait I have when Tig Notaro made a short "Clown Service"
— Alexandra Gallant (@Gallantdesigner) April 9, 2017
@sindee_ne mentioned on her tweet that it was not the first time that "SNL" has been accused of plagiarism. "Sitting here thinking of how @nbcsnl ripped off Tig Notaro. SNL has a history of this. I'm done watching until they address their plagiarism," she said. @TheBreeMee, meanwhile, tweeted, "Last night watching SNL was so painful, seeing a flattened version of Tig's short being performed by comedians who aren't cut out for nuance."
Sitting here thinking of how @nbcsnl ripped off Tig Notaro. SNL has a history of this. I'm done watching until they address their plagiarism
— Cindy (@sindee_ne) April 10, 2017
Last night watching SNL was so painful, seeing a flattened version of Tig's short being performed by comedians who aren't cut out for nuance
— 💛 Bree Loves You 💛 (@TheBreeMae) April 10, 2017
