Comic Louis CK to Perform in Israel

TEL AVIV – Popular standup comedian Louis CK announced that he will be performing in Israel for the first time.

The comedian, whose real name is Louis Székely and has paternal Jewish roots, told Howard Stern in an interview on Tuesday that recent projects left him in debt and he needs to recoup some of his losses. One of the ways of doing so is to perform his comedy routine to sell-out stadium audiences.

“I’m going to Israel and doing a show like at a soccer stadium or something there and I’ll get as much money over there as I would here at home,” he told radio host Stern, without mentioning any dates.

Asked if he could earn millions from such a performance Louis answered, “Ya, a lot of money.”

“Oh my God … yes, the Jews have money,” was Stern’s response.

Last May, the comic made headlines across Israel after opening his latest stand-up routine with a reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While hosting Saturday Night Live, Louis compared the conflict to the sibling rivalry between his two young daughters:

“My kids are like Israel and Palestine and I’m like America. The little one’s like Palestine because she always gets screwed, she gets the worst deal,” he joked.

“The older one is like Israel, she comes up to me like, ‘She burnt all my dolls!’ I’m like, ‘Look, I can’t do anything about it right now. Your sister is crazy, please don’t make me talk to her. I’ll work it out, you and me. I’ll buy you a really cool missile and whatever you do with it is totally up to you,” he quipped.

American standup performances in Israel seem to be gathering steam. In December, comedian Jerry Seinfeld debuted in Israel with four sold-out performances.