The time we always knew was coming is finally here: It’s been just under a year since the Harvey Weinstein allegations kicked off #MeToo, and so right on time, a number of men accused of sexual harassment and abuse are now making their unnecessary returns to the public eye.

Last week, Aziz Ansari did a few abrupt stand-up sets in Wisconsin, eight months after he was accused of sexual harassment by a woman he went on a date with in 2017. This week, Louis C.K. made a surprise appearance at New York’s Comedy Cellar, also trying out some new material that surprisingly had nothing to do with the fact that he had admitted to masturbating in front of fellow women comics without their consent.

Comedians like Michael Ian Black and Michael Che have already defended C.K.’s return to stand-up (though Black later apologized for his comments). Ansari’s allegations are more complicated and more nebulous in nature, coming from one woman’s blog post rather than a heavily vetted report with multiple sources. But Netflix has already said they’re happy to do more episodes of Ansari’s show whenever he’s ready. The return of both comedians highlights an unambiguous and frustrating double standard between the way we reprimand women comics like Kathy Griffin and Samantha Bee for their fuckups, and the way we reprimand their male counterparts, even when their misconduct has been more severe.

While the rest of us continue to debate how long we’re supposed to be mad at bad men, it’s clear that C.K. and Ansari are attempting their returns on their own terms and no one else’s. At one of Ansari’s shows, phones were banned, which is customary for a new set, but still allows him to work out his atonement tour away from a critical internet. C.K.’s set, meanwhile, was a complete surprise, according to the owner of the Comedy Cellar, who said the comedian basically showed up unannounced and asked the emcee if he could go on.

The audience wasn’t even prepped (though they did give him a big standing ovation once they learned he would be performing). Two women told Vulture about the “uncomfortable” nature of his set; his was the last performance on a lineup that already consisted only of men. Neither C.K. nor Ansari addressed the allegations that hang over their heads during their sets. (C.K.’s set did include an unfortunate gag about rape whistles.) These men want to come back, but only in a way that feels safe to them, comes with a forgiving audience, and allows them to avoid answering any uncomfortable and tough questions. And they seem to be getting it.

Comedy in particular seems very welcoming to these comebacks; being funny almost demands a lack of decorum. (In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman said, “I have other comedians work here who I've heard accusations of worse things than Louis, worse than sexual harassment. If everybody we know that has done something they're really ashamed of, like that last scene in Infinity War, we'd see people disappearing all around us.”) The purpose of a lot of comedy clubs is to try out new, experimental, possibly problematic material with an audience that’s likely accustomed to outrageous material. Television and movies have standards for language and content; meanwhile, stand-up has always been a little rough and a little gross. C.K. and Ansari seem to be finding their way back into a career just fine, in contrast to some of the women comedians who also got in trouble in the last year.