Yesterday, I talked about the resurrected rape allegations against Bill Cosby (including a new claim from Janice Dickinson). Shortly afterward, Deadline reported that Cosby’s upcoming NBC series has been cancelled. The network worried that the show wouldn’t have an audience because people can no longer buy Cosby as a trustworthy family man. I applaud their decision to cancel, but sadly, this is all about ad dollars. NBC didn’t care about Cosby’s well-established reputation until it affected their bottom line. That’s just a beef I have. The good news is that the show was cancelled, and TV Land pulled all Cosby Show reruns. Hannibal Burress’ stand-up comedy routine will have lasting effects.
The floodgates remain open. Several women have already come forward with very similar stories that date back decades. Cosby has always been successful in settling these cases out of court. A new AP video shows Cosby’s revolting powers of persuasion, only it didn’t work this time. The video shows Bill during a Nov. 6 interview. A reporter dared to question him about the accusations of sexual assault. He refused to answer, which is not a surprise. The video is completely bizarre. Cosby’s wife, Camille, jokes and laughs during the video like everything is perfectly normal. She’s supporting her husband like he’s up for an Emmy. She beams like a proud parent as he tries to strongarm the journalist into burying the video:
His response to the claims: “No, no, we don’t answer that. There is no comment about that and I’ll tell you why. I think you were told, I don’t want to compromise your integrity, but I don’t talk about it.”
Cosby tries to cut a deal: “Now can I get something from you. That none of that will be shown?”
Reporter as voice of reason: “You didn’t say anything.”
Cosby continues to press: “I know I didn’t say anything, but I’m asking your integrity that since I didn’t want to say anything, but I did answer you in terms of I didn’t want to say anything, what value would it have? I would appreciate it if it was scuttled. I think if you want to consider yourself to be serious, that it will not appear anywhere.”
[From NBC]
Camille’s response is disturbing to say the least. She’s married to a manipulator, so she may not be thinking clearly. Thoughts?
FYI, Raven-Symone spoke up yesterday to clear up some rumors. Raven said this: “I was NOT taking advantage of by Mr. Cosby when I was on the Cosby Show! Now keep me out of this!”
One more thing: Radar Online dug up a 2005 audio interview of Cosby. He was asked about Tamara Green’s claims of sexual assault, and he talked about not wanting to put his family in a difficult position. He asked, “Who really wants to put his or her family in a position of information coming out publicly that will cause great emotional stress, challenge? The choices that the family, friends have made in looking at him or her as a good person, a wonderful person, a person to be trusted? Then he said Green’s claims were “all about celebrity, period!” Yet Cosby feels free to use his celebrity to try and weasel out of these claims.
Photos courtesy of WENN
He’s a sick fu*k
+1. I never, ever liked this dude. Always thought there something off about him. I saw him perform one time back in the 80’s at a fair and sat there the whole time thinking “this man is not funny”. It didn’t help that his voice got on my last effing nerve.
This is all so gross.
My boyfriend and I were talking about a childhood filled with “Daddy’s great, gives us chocolate cake!” and all of Cosby’s stand-up. “Chocolate cake” takes on a whole new meaning now. Not trying to make light of it, just saying the stand-up routines that I adored so much as a child are now tainted by this man’s horrific behavior.
Because unlike a lot of yesterday’s posters, I was actually a big fan of this guy and his show. Also, I was completely unaware that these rumors have been around for so long (apparently, I’ve been living under a rock).
What can I say? I’m horrified and saddened for his victims and I’m just super-bummed, dudes.
Same here Kitten. It was only very recently that I heard of these rumors.
ugh, me too. How I used to love that show …
I am glad I am not the only one! I seem recall one incident that never went anywhere several years ago. That may be the one that was the civil suit. But goodness – I sure never had an inkling of the magnitude of this issue. What a disturbing – and disturbed – man.
I’m with you. Grew up with his stand up being played on my Dad’s record player. Loved the fact that we could watch Cosby Show as a family. Actually I saw Cosby perform at my college.
And now, I’m just sickened. I feel let down and like part of my childhood was taken away. Cosby is just as much a sexual predator as the man who sexually assaulted me. It’s disturbing in such a strangely personal way.
Except for not seeing him in college, your experience and reaction mirror mine. I will never, ever enjoy singing, “Dad is great/He made us chocolate cake” again, for instance.
Same here. I used to love the Cosby Show as a kid. I also would watch it with my family. I thought of Mr. Cosby as a funny dad type. I had no idea about all this. After reading about what he did to those women, it kind of feels like part of my childhood has been soured, as someone else mentioned. Yuck!
ditto to everything you just said. “Himself” was a staple on the TV when I was growing up.
Oh, I was a big fan. LOVED the Cosby Show, and I listened to the “Chocolate Cake” bit just a few months ago. :^(
Oooh same here.
I used to watch it with my cousins and my grandma 🙁
I’m in the same boat. When I was a kid, I would listen to Cosby’s stand up on my record player until I could practically recite the whole thing by memory. I still sing the chocolate cake song whenever I’m about to eat dessert. I loved that man. Between his stand up and Fat Albert he was a big part of my childhood. I’m completely mortified by what I’ve read in the last week, and it strongly taints those childhood memories.
I absolutely believe the women. It must have been so difficult for them to watch their rapist be celebrated and loved the world over for so many years. I’m sure it compounded the trauma for them. I just hope they can find some modicum of peace knowing their abuser has been exposed.
Me, too.
My family would wake up on Sunday mornings and put on a Cosby record and listen together. It was such a wonderful bonding experience. “But dad! I’ve got brain damage!” “Dad is great!…Give us the chocolate cake!” “Noah. I want you to build an ark.” “Zaff, woof, zaff, woof. Push! Push!” “You go to h*ll, kemosabe.” The slushy snowball. “My mother had thrown my snowball away. So I went outside and I spit on him.” I could go on and on. I’m still so torn. The more I learn about any celebrity, the less I wish I knew. Some escape their scandals or people choose to ignore them, others get universally raked over the coals. Who gets to get forgiven? Whose “art” can we still appreciate after their skeletons are uncovered? Can we separate the art from the artist? Is there anything good left in this world?
I really hope the “silver lining” of this is that we look closer at how society reacts to info like this. I also had no idea about Cosby until recently & felt personally betrayed for a moment! It’s weird how people (ahem- Woopie) have reacted to this assuming he should be given an insane amout of doubts & support because he is a great actor/friend/etc…..yea and I’d bet all my life savings in Vegas that he’s also a rapist. We shouldn’t feel guilty or ashamed or tarnish our memories cuz we only knew one side of him until now.
I saw him perform last summer. Now I wish I hadn’t bought that ticket. Ugh.
(His set was so-so, btw. Better when he got away from playing on male/female stereotypes.)
If nothing else Kitten these women will see some justice. They’re being heard and believed. They’re seeing Cosby exposed for the monster he is.
We’re bummed (yet another) a once trusted tv father figure has been exposed as an assaulter and manipulator, but it could be worse. His actions would never have been exposed and so many of his victims would have continued to be shamed if they spoke up while Cosby lived in continued praise.
This is all so sad and disappointing.
I guess these allegations have been around for decades, but I’m too young to remember, so it’s all news to me. Sigh.
I wish you would cover Whoopi having the nerve to defend Cosby and question the women, who all have suspiciously similar stories from the same time period. She’s a nut job, especially after defending Polanski and the not “rape – rape” statement. Ugh! I’m fed up with women standing in our own way.
Ew seriously? She’s the worst.
Ugh. Did any of the other women on the panel defend the victims, or stand up to her? (I’m assuming she did this on The View.
I saw the clip and Nicole Wallace was the only one that was a bit more sensitive.
Rosie O tried to defend the women but all the other women on the panel appeared afraid to go against Woopie. The tension on the View this morning could be cut with a knife.
I saw that segment. It looked like Rosie wanted to throttle Whoopi. Rosie was jawing a piece of gum as if she had a mouthful of rubber bands. WTF Whoopi.
I saw that. I used to LOVE Whoopi. But I think she’s freaking crazy now. I can’t believe her.
She has completely become a different person, imo. I used to love her, too.
She’s defending him too?.. I used to be such a fan of hers, and then I read about her comments about Polanski and no longer a fan. And now this? She’s a despicable human being ..
yeah, her “I have some questions for his accusers” really just continued her victim-blaming persona.
ETA: besides Polanski, let’s not forget she defended Mel Gibson, too.
Whoopi just loves identifying with the worst men, doesn’t she? She’s a one-woman apology band for poor, accused, and persecuted men. Wonder what her take on feminism is?
She also stuck up for Michael Vick back in the day. I wonder if she sides with the “underdog” on purpose no matter what – just for publicity and controversy. That’s how it’s looking.
Whoopi is a A+ troll.
OMG, you’re exactly right. Her history of defending terrible people (men, in particular) concerned me, but you hit the nail on the head. I mean, when else do you hear Whoopi’s name anymore other than when she pissing people off by defending accused rapists, animal torturers, and a proven bigot and misogynist?
LOL Yep. I used to think she had a contrarion streak and liked to challenge conventional opinion in even the most disturbing contexts.
But nope. I was being too nice to her.
She’s a troll.
Period.
What issues does Whoopi Goldberg have that she’s constantly defending and or making excuses for men who do horrible things? Vick, Gibson, Polanski, Ray Rice and now Cosby? Seriously, what the feck is wrong with this woman?
Someone should pick her for their psych thesis! Something is off with her…..
TV land pulled The Cosby show reruns from their lineup too.
Good!I could never stand that show even back in the day.
Goddamn, I remember hearing about this years ago and STILL people gave him a TV show. This whole thing is sad and infuriating and I absolutely respect the women who’ve come forward despite having seen what happened to the ones who came before them. I’m sure it’s all been discussed in previous threads but I’ve been trying to avoid this unholy mess.
On a side note, I’m completely appalled that Jon Stewart had him on the show a while ago. Yikes.
Steven Colbert recently had Cosby on his show, too.
Ugh. Disappointing. Goes to show that when it comes to childhood idols, a lot of people choose to ignore everything.
Very interesting to see him try to use ‘integrity’ to get the reporter to not show that portion of the interview. Yeah. Dude is a pretty smooth POS.
I know. He’s like a vile, manipulative politician. Revolting. It’s probably how he’s gotten away with this for so long.
That video, Cosby, really, was shady as hell. And seriously? He’s a journalist. He has no say in what questions he can ask–it’s up to his boss. So shut the f— up about ‘integrity’ you rapist. Such an old creeper, and his wife is just sitting there, SMILING. She’s like a f-cking stepford wife. Smile and sit pretty.
“So shut the f— up about ‘integrity’ you rapist.”
*clapping*
SERIAL rapist I might add.
My mom and I were talking about this this morning. She asked me whether his wife is still with him. I said yes and my mom couldn’t believe it. I said, his wife is probably just as bad as he is mentally (has an entitled attitude), probably stays for the money, and maybe is even abused by him. All around, this situation is sickening.
What I find most disturbing about these kinds of stories is when a massively popular celebrity is accused of rape/sexual assault people leap to his defense with “but he couldn’t have done it because X!” with X being he played a great tv character, is a talented professional athlete, a politician of the same political stripe or whatever. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. So just because Bill Cosby played a nice dad on tv means he isn’t capable of bad things? Ugh.
People are falling out of themselves to question the integrity of the women raped by this monster. I’ve read comment threads where some are asking why did it take them so long to report and saying they were just fame hungry wh*res who slept with him willingly to get ahead professionally and are now trying to revise history. I mean, for these people is easier to think there is some kind of conspiracy against this old pervert to bring him down in his 70’s than to believe he’s a rapist.
For those questioning why the women took so long to say anything about being abused should consider that 30-40 years ago no one would have believed them. Anyone needing an answer should just to listened to this video of Bill Cosby trying to pressure the NPS interviewer to shut down his comment and never show it anywhere. This is a sick person who has a lot of power for about 50 years and used it to harassed and raped women for years. Those women would have been laughed at if they took BC to court in those days.
@BNA FAN
Especially with the implication, at the end of the video, that if more women hadn’t stepped forward and accused him, that they probably WOULDN’T have shown this little clip. They’re about their bottom line as well (AP)–what if those women HADN’T come forward–Janice Dickinson,etc? What then? Would they have complied with his wishes?
I agree, Diana B. It seems like a popular defense of famous men accused of rape is that the victims didn’t report fast enough, didn’t report at all, are dodgy lying opportunists, “wh*res,” or a combination of all of these. (And you know what, even if all of those were true, SO WHAT. A “bad” person can still be a victim, just like a “good” person can be a perpetrator.)
Yeah, Hawkeye, it was simply staggering seing how everyone is so quick to vilify the victim instead of just think rationally that they should be scorning the perpetrator. And they use the most ridiculous arguments too, like ‘oh he was a black man. Any white woman accusing him of anything would have been believed’ and I’m like, um no, he was a man of power, black, white of blue, he was a man of power!
Thank you Hawkeye!
I completely agree. “So what”
I’ve made this comment about a billion times so I’ll stop with this one:
Predators often go after people who are vulnerable to being victimized. Not just vulnerable due to age or power position in a family or work relationship. But also vulnerable due to their life choices: The girl with a “bad reputation”. The prostitute. The grifter. These guys KNOW they can get away with using and abusing them for their own gratification. No one will believe their word.
It’s predatory.
@Angie: +1000
Something has GOT to be up with his wife. Honestly I feel bad for her. If he is such a master manipulator, life can’t be easy for her. The whole weird reaction she was having during this interview….who knows what he’s been saying to her before (and after).
One possibility is that because they lost a child ,it’s bound together more than ever. It might be because she can’t leave and doesn’t want to start over. Who knows.
But wasn’t their son in his mid or late twenties when he died? Not saying it wasn’t tragic, but..
Losing a child ,whether they’re 6 or 60 ,is the worst thing a parent can go through.
Some people don’t really care about their partners being the mot despicable human beings. I man, look at Honey Boo Boos mom. She has a thing for pedophiles and let’s them rape her daughters. Many woman are married to pedophiles. They know it, they might even have kids that are being raped by their father. They don’t care/defend them by blaming somebody else (like the raped baby, for example).
Read Push by Shapphire if you have the chance. It deals with this.
Yes, this exactly. There’s probably some degree of denial going on, but mainly I think she just doesn’t care about what happened to the women Cosby raped. As long as it’s not affecting her, she has zero f*cks to give.
@VG, I have to agree with you about AP coming off not looking as professional as I thought they were. IMO, if the other women did not come forward the AP would have totally granted his wishes and scuttle that part of his interview. Have you noticed not one of the the actors he has worked with for several years has come forward vouching for his integrity. Why has not Bill Cosby not file definition charges against any of the women accusing him of rape..
Delta Juliet, I feel sorry for her too. When I was in the seminary, I volunteered with a non-profit organization that worked with sex offenders. What I witnessed when it came to family members and particularly partners was both heartbreaking and eye-opening. I didn’t think it was possible to love a rapist, but their families and partners do and feel really guilty and emotionally burdened by it. I can’t speak on behalf of Bill Cosby’s wife, but people stay for a multitude of reasons.
I’m watching the View right now.They are discussing it now.The tension is palpable. Whoopi is Team Bill.She thinks there is a rush to judgement.He is innocent until proven guilty.Rosie is seething and glaring at Whoopie.The other two ladies are sorta neutral.Whoopie is very emotional because her mentor Mike Nichols just died.She is crying a lot.
On GMA Dan Abrams made an interesting point Cosby’s Atty said Janice was lying but he didn’t say the other two ladies who did interviews this week were lying.
Glad to hear Rosie at least has some sense. I’d heard earlier in the week that she was defending him too, and while I expect that nonsense from Whoopi, I don’t from Rosie.
We’re totally rushing to judgment. Maybe when there’s 20 accusers it’ll feel much clearer.
14 and counting…..
Around 2000 or 2001 I heard a very articulate and convincing young man call into a late night radio talk show, who told a very disturbing story about Cosby sexually harassing this young man’s girlfriend. I couldn’t process this bombshell and listened in shock as the young man described Cosby spotting him and his girlfriend dining at a restaurant in NY and immediately came on to the young woman right in front of this young man.
I believe he sent her, and only her, a drink to the table. Somehow Cosby found out where they were staying, probably early in the conversation before it got weird and the harassment started, and the weirdness continued after they left the restaurant and she was stalked by Cosby by phone, and I think, in person, at her hotel.
I can’t remember the whole story – but I’m sure Cosby did not get what he wanted from her. I recall that the young man, and possibly her father, confronted Cosby and told him to fuck off and the stalking ceased. This was one time Cosby did not pick a vulnerable victim.
This young man became increasingly angry as he recounted his story, and I do remember him emphatically telling the host – don’t believe the hype about Cosby – he is a pervert and he is dangerous.
I believe all the women coming forward – they have nothing to gain but public doubt and ridicule – I can’t believe some of the posts I’ve been reading attacking these women. I hope everyone this creep ever raped comes forward.
I hope this whole exposure of this ugly rapist brings validation and closure for these women, as well as a long overdue end to his career, and a dissolution of his phoney family man legacy.
Camille sitting there like a goddamned sycophant smiling.. UGH
Yes, very disturbing. I commented on that, too.
She is as sick as he is.
I saw this on Gawker earlier, and it sickens me to think that I actually paid for a ticket to see him some number of years ago, and that in my early teens, I enjoyed watching his “family” show.
His interview is extremely telling, because nothing screams “Innocent!” like trying to intimidate a reporter into not reporting his own quote, said wearing a hot mic, no less.
I am almost (not quite, but it’s becoming a close second each time I see it) equally disturbed by how his wife sits by robotically ,bobbing head & smiling, unphased at all by the whole thing. . . Jeebus.
“His interview is extremely telling, because nothing screams “Innocent!” like trying to intimidate a reporter into not reporting his own quote, said wearing a hot mic, no less. ”
Cosby didn’t really say anything–yet look at how intimidating and determined he was to make sure those NON-comments we NOT reported. He even manipulatingly tries to frame it as if the reporter would be doing himself, his intergrity and desire to “be serious” a favor by making sure not to report it–as opposed to Cosby just acknowledging that it was HIS preference. A MASTER Manipulator!
All that over a few “no comments”. Not too hard to imagine how far he would go to cover up something that was actually damning. (likea rape)
And the reporter seemed SO nervous!
My mom saw him live years ago, and she was pissed because he came on the stage in some house slippers and sweatpants, and all he did was mumble into the microphone.
Behind most serial molesters and rapists is a proud wife all too willing to cover up the truth.
The AP should be shamed for their journalistic ethics — why let this fool control your news coverage?!!! You’re the AP!
He tried hard to use the power differential between himself and the interviewer to his advantage in that video. Red flag.
He’s a sick, twisted sexual predator who should have been locked up long ago.
So glad TV Land is pulling the show–I never cared for that crapfest anyhow but I flip to that channel quite a bit and the thought of having to see his smirking face makes me ill.
The first accuser who settled with a long time ago, had 13 other women saying he’d done the same thing to them (drugged and raped them). When she settled out of court, the case was dropped. How can that be? You have 13 other women saying he did it to them too, but the case was dropped because one of them settled? Even though she was the first – the one who initiated the whole thing, there were more than a dozen other women making the same claims and charges weren’t brought against him for any of those incidents? I don’t understand that.
I read an article this morning saying if just one of them had come forward at the time it happened, they could have drawn their blood and proved they’d been drugged. Sad that not one of 14 women felt confident enough to have him charged at the time it happened to them. Not one! I know why – because they didnt’ think they could prove it. They didn’t think they had any evidence. They were embarrassed because they went to dinner with him and went to his home. They accepted “pills” from him. But still, when you have 14 women at one time from different cultures and walks of life, all saying the same thing, something evil was definitely happening. I’m just bummed that there’s really no evidence to ever put him away. His career may be ruined because of this, but it’s not enough. He deserves to spend the rest of his days in a 8X8 cell eating low-grade meat and stale bread. Instead he’ll continue to eat prime rib at the fanciest restaurants with his perma-grin wife dining next to him. Grrrrrrrr……….
“I read an article this morning saying if just one of them had come forward at the time it happened, they could have drawn their blood and proved they’d been drugged. Sad that not one of 14 women felt confident enough to have him charged at the time it happened to them. Not one! I know why – because they didnt’ think they could prove it.”
Not to mention–it was a long time ago. Look at how badly victims of rape are treated TODAY, and I dare say there has been progress over the course of the past 20 years. (Sad that we call the current state “progress” but I think it is a TINY bit better) I think I would find it hard to report if I were raped today. And at least today, I have had the opportunity to see rape culture and victim’s rights discussed. As an adult woman, I know that what a person wears, or drinks…or where they go does not in anyway excuse rape. And even still–there are plenty of people that even in this day and age ask “what was the victim wearing”? etc. I have to imagine that 20 years ago, it would be even HARDER to come forward. Add to it that he was famous and so very powerful and in a position to fight a case, throw money at it AND ruin the victim’s budding careers? Sure isn’t hard to understand why they didn’t want to come forward.
At least a couple of the women actually did come forward, but the police were the ones that declined to press charges. We’re talking about a powerful, famous man, who had groomed many of his victims in the first place, and for the most part at a time before women were educated about what they can and should do in the event of an assault.
I think it’s amazing what social media can do. Back when the allegations first came to light, social media wasn’t what it is today, so it was easier to ignore this story. For me as a kid, growing up in the 80’s, the Cosby Show was everything. Cliff Huxtable was “Dad” to a whole generation of kids. If you couldn’t trust Claire and Cliff, you couldn’t trust anyone. Just a year or two ago, I dvr’d the Cosby Show reruns in order to have a family-friendly show with a positive message that both me and my seven year old could watch together. As I sat watching one night with her, those old allegations made its way into my head–but I pushed them out of my brain. Once the Hannibal Buress video went viral, I deleted all episodes. It’s a lot harder to deny and hide these days. So, bravo social media. And bravo Hannibal Buress. Curious to know what Lisa Bonet knows…
+1. Luckily, the truth has a funny way of coming out, eventually…
It’s so telling that it took a comment by a MALE comedian to get the ball rolling. Sure, a guy says it and after decades and multiple complaints it’s suddenly true. Ugh.
On a side note I 100% believe Raven’s comment. Cosby knew exactly which women to target. Legal age (but young) aspiring actresses and singers. Hangers on. Hollywood hopefuls. A group so hungry for a break (desperate even) and among the least likely to be believed. It’s terrifyingly sociopathic.
Totally agree. True predators know how to pick their victims.
Yup. Cosby selected victims like a pro.
Wow GREAT point that it took a MALE to say something to get the ball rolling Ugh.
I think this is a topic that is very under-appreciated:
The credibility advantage that male opinions get from society. It really does feel like our opinions are treated with suspicion – “She’s too emotional” “She’s looking for attention” etc
But if a guy says it – suddenly people pay attention.
Raven was also almost absurdly young during the Cosby show, so while he’s a rapist he’s not a child molester.
And great point about Burress. I hadn’t thought about it that way at all.
Whether he did it or not we will never know. I will say that of course now everyone’s stories will sound the same because it is in the media. However I do question the lady who went back and was allegedly raped by him twice. I also question how all of these women are white and didn’t feel confident enough to bring him down. I’m sorry but as a white women going against a black man it doesn’t matter how much money that man has race is a big factor especially back in those days that these events allegedly took place. I think he definitely abused his power but I honestly feel very iffy calling him a serial rapist when he was never criminally charged and the only case he settled was of him groping a female. I guess I’m biased.
This was 20 years ago, not 1860…not that racism isn’t alive and well here in 2014. Celebrity and money count for a lot in this world. But I think it was/is more than that. Bill Cosby was a father figure—equally welcomed into both black and white households on Thursday nights. One of the great contributions the Cosby Show made was that it broke down racial stereotypes (much in the same way Modern Family is doing for homosexual stereotypes). Bill Cosby was trusted more than most people and it’s a shame.
If Bill Cosby was a nobody I’d be inclined to agree with DeeDee.
Hell even if Bill Cosby was merely rich and famous I might be inclined to agree with DeeDee to some degree.
But Bill Cosby was more than that. He had a persona as America’s Dad. Everyone loved him.
People would not believe these women because they didn’t WANT to believe these women.
Noone wants to have that comforting fantasy ripped away from them.
Hell I wasn’t even a huge fan and it freaks me out more than any celeb story I’ve read in a long time.
“However I do question the lady who went back and was allegedly raped by him twice”
He chose women with whom there was a serious power imbalance – women who were looking for a big break, who he promised to help. He chose women who he could groom to think they NEEDED him, who were vulnerable, and who were easily written off if they ever came forward (“she just wants to be famous”). He chose the kind of women who had no where to go but back to him after he violated him. You wonder how these women weren’t confident enough to take them down? Look at your own reaction, even here and now in 2014, and then imagine the reaction they would have gotten 30 years ago, going up against someone as famous and beloved as Bill Cosby. A couple of the women have actually stated that they did try to go to the police, but the police declined to file charges.
These women’s stories have been around for years, and they sound the same because as a predator he has an M.O. These stories span DECADES.
Love his insistence upon integrity. Does he know what that means or does he just figure it doesn’t apply to him?
I’ve been watching the Cosby Show since it first started. Loved especially the early years. When I see BC I think of Cliff Huxtable. When I first heard about this, I was shocked because Dr Huxtable would never do anything like this. Seemed like a great dad, husband, friend and doctor in his character. Wow, what a creep
People often forget that at the height of his popularity, Bill Cosby was not only a much-beloved “Dad” to the public and enormously wealthy, but he was incredibly powerful in the industry. Very privileged. He’s a very complex individual, and one I would say, as someone who has actually met him, driven by many demons. My gut tells me this is a person who is quite capable of maintaing in his own mind, at the very least, the beloved Dr. Huxtable, the family man Bill Cosby, the activist Bill Cosby, the comic Bill Cosby and what I’m calling, The CeeLoGreen/Bill Cosby. I believe those women. Absolutely.
Interesting. Maybe next he’ll be adding “prisoner Bill Cosby.”
After seeing the situation with Jian Ghomeshi unfolding up here in Toronto abusers in positions of power and their enablers absolutely guarantee the fact that women aren’t going to come forward, until one speaks out. That gives other victims courage to find their own voice and know that they aren’t alone.
Forget the statute of limitations here, which is all some people care about and if I hear “why didn’t they go to the police when it happened” one more time I will scream. Unless you’ve been a victim of non-consensual behaviour, sit down. The fact remains that unless there is some collective financial “agenda”or they have nothing better to do than “sully a good man’s name” (which his supporters believe, and I’ve put those in quotes because I’ve actually read these sentiments) – and there isn’t on either front – Cosby’s chickens are coming home to roost.
This isn’t about some horn-dog who couldn’t keep it in his pants as much as it is about abuse of power and that is he had it, these women didn’t. Fame is a powerful lure but a some point these women had something happen to them that they did not consent to. That is all that should matter and if Cosby’s reputation as “America’s Dad” has to get dragged through the mud to make that point, so be it.
I believe these women.
Yes yes yes.
His face gives me the dry heaves at this point.
Nothing grosses me out quite like a smug grade A narcissist blazing both middle fingers at humanity when they’ve been busted.
Those defending him fell for the con. Period. Cliff Huxtable was nothing more than a mask he wore to fool people. He’s an actor, after all. He used his alter-ego, his power, his influence, and his industry connections to get away with evil for decades on end. Why is it so hard for these people to believe an actor fooled them?
Celebrities have a carefully crafted “image” that they present to the public. They work hard to maintain this through manipulation and a good PR team. This image can be the complete opposite of how they really are as a person. It appears most people in Hollywood are not who you think they are.
I agree these organizations are “protecting their brand” (NBA, NFL, CBC, NBC or whatever network offered Cosby that new show)–but you know what? I’LL TAKE IT. Finally: at least there are *some* consequences, more and more, for virulent celeb assaulters and racists in positions of extreme power, where they believed themselves untouchable for life and where they had too too too much influence over others. This has been a freaking banner year for chickens coming home to roost, and may they continue to. The law may fail these victims, but it seems a critical mass of the public has finally had enough. Watching these long-known “missing stairs” lose jobs, contracts, and status is something at least. It’s *some* small justice. Some have slipped/are still slipping through the cracks (e.g. Polanski) but at least those gaps are getting narrower…
Just having this info out in the public, rather than circulating through mere fallible backchannels, is of enormous service to potential future victims, many of whom now have a chance to avoid these predators. And others may more and more come to feel they too will be believed about their own stories. This is powerful.
Long way to go, but I feel we’ve made a bit of a jump this year.
PS: My gut tells me the recent public wave of support for Ghomeshi’s victims, and the consequences he faced, gave that comic the courage/platform to say what he did about Cosby and re-open the door. These two scandals are so linked, in my mind.
Someone upthread mentioned Lisa Bonet, and I have to agree, I’m now dying to pick her brain to learn more about what was behind their rocky relationship off-camera.