Sales of Louis C.K.’s Standup Download Top $1 Million
Comedian Louis C.K. has earned more than $1 million on sales of his latest comedy special, Live at the Beacon Theater, which he made available just 10 days ago as a $5 download on his website. Appearing Wednesday on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, the comedian said he’d already given away $280,000 of the money to several charities, some of which he discovered after asking his Twitter followers for suggestions.
The star of FX’s dark, groundbreaking sitcom Louie, the comedian used the internet-only distribution of his latest special as an experiment. It’s been a thorough success: after setting aside $250,000 of the profit thus far to pay for the production, he says he’ll use another $250,000 to give bonuses to people he works with and then pay himself $220,000. The organizations he’s donating to include one that offers outdoor and animal therapies to children, another specializing in pediatric cancer research and a group that provides clean drinking water.