Fuck Yeah, Louis C.K.

• By 
  CATHY HAYES, 
  January 9, 2012

When Louis CK began writing on staff at “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” he was 30 years old and not the household name in US comedy he is today, but in a recent interview he speaks about how although he was young and inexperienced, writers and producers on the show heeded his advice.

Famously, the first episode of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” started with Conan attempting suicide in his dressing room after receiving some pretty bad pep talks. It was all down to Louis that these series of sketches were stopped.

Speaking to Jonah Weiner Louis said “”He told me he was going to put a gun in his mouth, and I was the new guy, and I said, ‘Are you really going to do that?’ and they were like, ‘You think that’s too dark?’ and I said, ‘You can’t do that, that’s vicious, that’s really hard for people to take,’” CK recently told interview Jonah Weiner . “I talked them out of it, and it was like they were asking me for permission. ‘Really, is it too much?’ ‘Yeah, guys, that’s crazy.’ A gun in the mouth, Jesus.”

Although Louis only had experience in short films, a short TV sketch job, and a decade of standup, Conan and Robert Smigel listened to him.

Looking back on the gig now he remembers it fondly saying, “It was hard to do, it hurt. It was hard to do that, but I loved the work, I loved it, and Robert let me do anything I wanted to, anything…I got to shoot some really elaborate, crazy shit there, and it’s something I learned how to do: live comedy, sketch comedy with an audience, and I hunkered down, watching it happen.”

Since then, the comedian’s (who is of Irish and Mexican descent) profile has exploded. His popularity as a standup comedian and star of his own FX show, “Louie”, was brilliantly illustrated recently when he launched some new stand up material on his site.

Louis had expressed his annoyance at never receiving a royalty check for sales from standup specials so he decided to sell his material directly to his fans from his site. He made $1 million from his $5 material, in just ten days.

From the $1 million, he donated $280,000 to charities including the Fistula Foundation, Pablove Foundation, Charity: Water, Kiva, Green Chimneys, and Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Another $250,000 went to costs, and another $250,000 went to a “big fat bonus” for his staff members. The comedian paid himself $220,000,  an amount he says is enough.

• 01/ 3/12 05:25 PM ET

Louis CK was the bright-eyed rookie when he joined the first writing staff of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” That was a tough feat to pull off on a show hosted by an inexperienced 30-year old on-camera rookie and led in the writing room by a 33-year old scribe, but at least Conan O’Brien and Robert Smigel had experience with “Saturday Night Live” and other TV shows. All Louis had on his resume were a few short films, a quick TV sketch job and a decade of low-pay standup gigs.

Luckily, his relative inexperience didn’t stop the show runners from taking his advice.

The first episode famously began with a skit that saw Conan, after receiving “pep talks” from people that told him he better be as good as vacating host David Letterman, try to hang himself in his dressing room before the show began. That they didn’t go any farther came thanks to Louis.

“He told me he was going to put a gun in his mouth, and I was the new guy, and I said, ‘Are you really going to do that?’ and they were like, ‘You think that’s too dark?’ and I said, ‘You can’t do that, that’s vicious, that’s really hard for people to take,’” CK recently told interview Jonah Weiner. “I talked them out of it, and it was like they were asking me for permission. ‘Really, is it too much?’ ‘Yeah, guys, that’s crazy.’ A gun in the mouth, Jesus.”

It was a prelude to some difficult times, but overall, he remembers his time on the show fondly.

It was hard to do, it hurt. It was hard to do that, but I loved the work, I loved it, and Robert let me do anything I wanted to, anything,” Louis said. “I got to shoot some really elaborate, crazy shit there, and it’s something I learned how to do: live comedy, sketch comedy with an audience, and I hunkered down, watching it happen.”

For so much more, click over to Jonah Weiner’s website.