Louis CK Makes a Cool Million off Web Video

And comedian is giving more than half of that to charities, employees
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 23, 2011 9:53 AM CST
Louis CK Makes a Cool Million off Web Video
Comedian Louis CK speaks at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival award ceremony on Saturday, January 30, 2010 in Park City, Utah.   (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)

The wild success story of Louis CK and his self-produced comedy album gets even wilder: The album, available via his website for just $5, sold 200,000 copies as of Tuesday, grossing the comedian a cool million ... in just 12 days. A quarter of that money will go to the video's production costs, and $220,000 will go to CK himself (he says he will spend it on rent, his kids, and "terrible, horrible things" that are "none of your business"). But more than half will go to his employees and charity. Specifically, his employees will get bonuses totaling $250,000, and another $280,000 will go to five charities (click to see which ones).

"I've never had a million dollars all of a sudden. And since we're all sharing this experience and since it's really your money, I wanted to let you know what I'm doing with it," CK wrote on his website Wednesday. "I guess I want to set an example of what you can do if you all of a sudden have a million dollars that people just gave to you directly because you told jokes." And, he promises, "If I make another million, I'll give more of it away." (More Louis CK stories.)

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