It's safe to say that Sarah Silverman is struggling with extremely mixed emotions about her "best friend" Louis CK in the wake of his sexual misconduct scandal.
Silverman did not initially join with others in the stand-up comedy community in condemning Louis CK last week, when he acknowledged that harassment accusations from five different women were "true".
However, Silverman tackles the issue head-on in a three-minute monologue for this week's edition of her Hulu series I Love You, America, in which she refers to the recent dialogue on sexual harassment as "necessary" even if the process is "messy and complicated".
"One of my best friends of over 25 years, Louis CK, masturbated in front of women," Silverman began. "He wielded his power with women in f**ked-up ways, sometimes to the point where they left comedy entirely.
"I could couch this with heartwarming stories of our friendship and what a great dad he is — but that's totally irrelevant, isn't it? Yes, it is."
The fallout from Louis CK's confession, Silverman admits, has left her wondering if it's possible to feel both disgust and love at the same time for people who've let us down.
"It's a real mind f**k, you know, because I love Louis," she acknowledged. "But Louis did these things. Both of those statements are true, so I just keep asking myself, 'Can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them?'
"I can mull that over later, certainly, because the only people that matter right now are the victims. They are victims, and they're victims because of something he did. So I hope it's okay if I am at once very angry for the women he wronged and the culture that enabled it, and also sad, because he's my friend.
"But I believe with all my heart that this moment in time is essential. It's vital that people are held accountable for their actions, no matter who they are. We need to be better. We will be better. I can't f**king wait to be better."
In the wake of the controversy, FX, Netflix and HBO have all severed their business ties with Louis CK and his film I Love You, Daddy was pulled from release days before it was to reach US cinemas.
Louis CK has indicated that he will be stepping away from the spotlight for "a long time" in order to "listen" to the voices of women who've experienced sexual misconduct.
