Christine Horvath organized a show this Friday with a slate of local comedians. She was spurred to organize it after seeing that Louis C.K., who admitted to sexual harassment, would be performing six shows at the Columbus FunnyBone.

When Christine Horvath heard that Louis C.K. was slated to perform in Columbus this weekend, she was spurred to action.

Offended by the notion that the disgraced C.K. — who admitted in November 2017 to sexually harassing multiple women — would be granted a coveted four-day engagement at the Columbus Funny Bone, she decided to organize a comedy show of her own.

PAST COVERAGE | Louis C.K. to perform at the Funny Bone in Columbus after sexual harassment scandal

Though Horvath's show starring fellow Columbus-based comics is undoubtedly smaller in scale, she said she still hopes it serves as an alternative to a venue that would provide a platform to someone who admitted that he used his power in the comedy world to harass and intimidate women at the beginning of their careers.

“I wanted to provide an opportunity to distract from that because it’s hurtful to female comics especially,” said Horvath, who has been performing comedy in Columbus for seven years. “We want less eyes on the bad guys and more eyes on the people doing good things.”

Free to attend, "Seen & Heard" will feature a slate of Columbus-based comedians on Friday night at the Wild Cat Gift and Party's Confetti House, 15 W. Dunedin Ave. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday night, guests can return at 9 p.m. for a viewing of Cameron Esposito's comedy special, "Rape Jokes," which addresses the topic of sexual assault from a survivor’s perspective.

The event doubles as a fundraiser for RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), an anti-sexual violence organization.

Guests can RSVP at BabeRoar.com and donate to RAINN at a GoFundMe page.

By Tuesday afternoon, five of six of C.K.'s shows had sold out — "a sad reality," Horvath said. However, she doesn't blame the Funny Bone for making a lucrative business decision.

The appeal of her event, though, is in supporting a wide range of performers— both male and female comics, queer comics and comics of color.

“At the end of the day you want to go see comedy to have fun and laugh,” Horvath said. “I want people to feel like they have a way to do that without supporting a person who has a history of sexually violent behavior.”

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta