Louis C.K. Says Web Series Horace and Pete Left Him Millions In Debt

You can now add Louis C.K. to the running list of celebrities publicly discussing their creative debts. During an interview on The Howard Stern Show Monday, the Louie star opened up about how his web dramedy series Horace and Pete has put him “millions of dollars in debt.”

The show, which made its surprise launch back in January, was a bold experiment on C.K.’s part—perhaps too bold. Its promotion-less launch was a result of C.K.’s enthusiasm about “the idea of having a show appear from nothing,” the comedian explained. So essentially, like most of us, he was intrigued by the Beyoncé effect.

While its out-of-thin-air launch seemed to garner enough media buzz, Horace and Pete hasn’t reaped nearly as much financially as C.K. thought it would. “After four episodes, the whole idea was I’m not gonna have to spend my own money after that,” C.K. told Stern. Instead, after releasing that handful of episodes, the FX network star ended up having to take out a line of credit. He is now planning a massive publicity push in hopes of turning things around.

Despite the show’s stumbles, C.K. still believes Horace and Pete will ultimately pay for itself. When it reaches that point, he’s stated he’ll consider selling it—something he’s resisted in the past, based on his commitment to “a new avenue for making this stuff.”

“I believe that by the end of a few, like by the end of summer, the whole show will have paid itself off,” C.K. said.

Read our feature on Horace and Pete here. The show’s first season is currently for sale on C.K.’s website.