Digging into the Feud Between Dane Cook & Louis C.K.

Louis C.K. and Dane Cook are both comedians of enormous popularity, successful in a field that is appropriately deemed by many as being the most difficult in the entertainment industry to break into. Just wander into a comedy club in any city, and one will realize that telling quality jokes on stage isn’t as easy as it looks. Most comedians suck, and even goliaths like George Carlin, Louis C.K., and Dane Cook can have an off night. The pressure to make a living off telling jokes is significant, and is one reason why allegations of joke stealing are relatively easy to find, even among the heavyweights.

The feud between Dane Cook and Louis C.K. has taken a route that is to be expected from comedians. What once appeared to be an actual feud with barbs back and forth has turned into something that both comedians play humorously off of. Convenient for those unaware, the entire feud is found in microcosm form, staged by both comedians. Cook appeared as himself in a 2011 episode of Louie, the hit FX show scripted and directed by Louis C.K., to poke fun at the then-ongoing feud.

That episode focused on a fictional meet-up between the two comedians, where they bicker about Lady Gaga tickets. Louie wants to make his daughter happy with Lady Gaga tickets, and Cook has them. Cook is happy to give him the tickets, with one exception: Louis must go on YouTube and tell everybody that Cook did not steal his material. “I never said that you stole my jokes,” C.K. replies. “You never said it, but you let other people say it,” Cook retorts. Cook then speaks about how 2006 should have been the greatest year of his life, with a special on HBO and massive album sales, but rumors of joke theft ruined it. “That year should have been my triumph, but it sucked,” Cook says sullenly.

The Dane Cook feud is not the only one Louis has poked fun at on his show, as he also satirized the soured relationship between him and comic Marc Maron, who broke into the comedy scene around the same time and used to be best friends. While that episode referenced some single instance to be the cause for their fallout, the reality is that they simply drifted apart. The fictionalization of the “break-up” on Louie is more of what Louis does best: turn everyday social situations we all despise into gut-busting comedy. Through episodes like the ones with Cook and Maron, Louis C.K. shows that much of the hoopla surrounding the feuds among comedians are driven by press seeking some sort of story. People naturally drift apart, but that doesn’t mean they don’t maintain respect for one another. Referencing the Cook episode on Louie, C.K. shows appreciation for his fellow comic’s playfulness. “What I wrote for Dane and me on camera represents what each other feels about the situation. The only difference is that he’s not angry about it. Neither of us really care,” Louis explained. “Dane was generous in allowing me to take him to a place of anger and it was funny the way he did it.”

Fans of comics should realize that, as comedy is the livelihood for comics, there is a good chance that one or two jokes out of hundreds may appear to be plagiarized, when in reality it’s simply a result of subtle recollection – much like how a musician writes a melody partially based on a classic song they grew up on. Whether or not this was the case with Cook and Louis C.K. remains to be seen, but one thing is very clear: Louis C.K. and Dane Cook simply don’t care about their alleged feud, just like how Louis C.K. and Marc Maron no longer care. These comedians will shake hands and laugh at one another’s jokes. It doesn’t mean they’ll be buddy-buddy and barbeque in the backyard together, but quality comedians remain apathetic to “stolen jokes” – as long as it’s relatively clear that there was no malicious intent. And with guys as easy-going as C.K., Cook, and Maron, it’s clear why they give each other the benefit of the doubt.