Louis C.K. Says Web Series 'Horace and Pete' Has Left Him "Millions of Dollars in Debt"

The comedian said he hoped that the first four episodes of the series would have made his personal investment of $2 million back.

Louis C.K. revealed to Howard Stern on Monday that making his web series Horace and Pete has left him several million dollars in debt.

The series sprung online without notice in January and the last episode was released April 2. There are 10 episodes in total available for purchase on C.K.'s website. The comedy-drama is set in a family-owned bar in Brooklyn and costs between $2 and $5 an episode.

"I'm millions of dollars in debt right now," the comedian said. “I got so excited about having the show appear from nothing. So I made the first four, and I didn’t tell nobody and it made a nice little amount of money. When I got to episode four, I was like, ‘Hey gang, I don’t have any money.’ So I had to take out a line of credit.”

C.K. said he hoped that the first four episodes of the series, starring himself and Steve Buscemi, would have made his personal investment of $2 million back. But it hasn't worked out like that yet, he said.

Having done the least amount of promotion possible for the show beforehand, the stand-up comic said he has no choice now but to get the word out, which is why he was appearing on Stern's show and was being so candid about the situation.

“I did [Jimmy Kimmel Live] just to test out — the sales exploded,” C.K. acknowledged.

In addition to Stern's show, the comic said he was going to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon among other programs and "hit hard — promote, promote, promote the show."

C.K. estimated that if he keeps promoting Horace and Pete, and the audience continues to grow as it has, the show will have "paid itself off" by the summer.