This piece was written for my Arts Journalism class. The assignment was to analyze Louis C.K.’s controversial return to comedy in less than 500 words. I submitted the story on Sept. 5, 2018 and received a grade of 100 percent.

“I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen.”

That is how Louis C.K. ended a statement released last November, after he confirmed reports that he had masturbated in front of at least five women in the comedy community. While (as many critics pointed out) he never included the words, “I’m sorry,” the tone was vaguely apologetic.

Less than a year later, he is back onstage. He did a 15-minute set– unannounced– at the Comedy Cellar in New York on Aug. 26. He chose not to comment on recent events, instead focusing his act on “racism, waitresses’ tips, (and) parades,” according to the club owner.

This begs the question: how long is “a long time”? The #MeToo movement is so recent that there’s no standard for how much time perpetrators should take before stepping back into the public eye.

Sure, we could choose an arbitrary length of time. Six months, a year, five years, never…. But every #MeToo situation is different, and there’s no “one size fits all” answer.

Instead, we need to look at the perpetrator’s actions during that time. Have they actually demonstrated repentance and learned why and how their past actions were wrong? Have they used their power in the industry to support the people they have hurt? What steps are they taking to put an end to these misogynistic practices?

Louis C.K. fails every single one of those tests, because he has done nothing. He’s sat at home playing X-Box or table tennis or whatever 50-year-old white men do when they have tons of money and a couple months at home. Maybe he picked up gardening. I don’t know.

The point is, he has done nothing to demonstrate that he has changed, learned, or grown from this experience. Other than a lukewarm statement crafted by his PR team, he has said nothing to the victims of his sexual misconduct.

Some people are already willing to welcome him back onstage. But that does a disservice to his victims and the comedy community. He has the opportunity to step up and set an example for other men who have misused their power.

Louis C.K. can come back when he’s developed a real apology and an action plan to help women in comedy perform and rise up in the ranks without being sexually harassed.

Until then, he can stick to playing X-Box.