The Bill Cosby story has avalanched quickly. It’s difficult to keep track of how many women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault by Cosby. The total number approaches 30. There will almost certainly be more. Cosby himself refused to talk about the allegations and treated this like a big joke. Yesterday’s story about his 15-year-old alleged victim seemed to spark a reaction from Cosby. He took to his Twitter account to express gratitude towards his two defenders, Whoopi Goldberg and Jill Scott.
I never covered the Whoopi story, which happened a few weeks ago. Whoopi used her platform on The View to express her skepticism of an accuser: “I have a lot of questions for her.” Given how Whoopi previously supported Roman Polanski, her attitude is not surprising in the Cosby case. Whoopi is the same old misogynist she’s always been.
The legal aspects of this scandal are heating up. Gloria Allred held a press conference yesterday with three of Cosby’s accusers in tow. The victims were crying openly. Allred asked Cosby to waive the statute of limitations in these cases. She demanded he fork over $100 million as a victims’ fund. These womens’ tales are rather graphic:
Three more women are speaking out to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault. At a press conference on Wednesday, L.A. attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the accusers, demanded Cosby place $100 million in a fund for his alleged victims and allow a panel of retired judges to decide whether the women’s claims have merit or not.
Allred proposed that Cosby should waive the statute of limitations on sexual assault claims, which would permit the women to file lawsuits against the beleaguered comedian. “It could be advantageous for Mr. Cosby to give up the statute of limitations because there is a huge cloud on his reputation and legacy,” she said.
Allred told reporters that she had been approached by a number of women who claimed that Cosby either drugged or sexually assaulted them. “Many of those alleged victims contacted me to determine if they had any legal rights that they could assert against Mr. Cosby,” she said. “Unfortunately, with a rare exception, I had to inform these women that it was too late for them to file a lawsuit against Mr. Cosby because of the statute of limitations. If Mr. Cosby believes all the women are being untruthful, then this is his opportunity to prove it,” she added. “What could be fairer than that?”
In a statement provided by Allred, the three accusers all said they met Cosby in the ’70s or ’80s. Beth Ferrier, a Colorado native who first spoke to PEOPLE in 2006 when she supported a civil lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand against Cosby and told PEOPLE last month she felt “there needs to be an outcry” over Cosby’s behavior, said she was an aspiring actress and model when she met Cosby through her then-agent in New York City in the mid-’80s. He called her in Denver and invited her to one of his performances. While she was backstage, Ferrier alleges, Cosby spiked her cappuccino. “The next thing I knew, hours had passed, and I woke up in the back of my car alone. My clothes were a mess; my bra was undone. My car was in the alleyway behind the venue. I felt confused and disoriented. I had no idea what happened to me. The last memory I had was drinking Mr. Cosby’s coffee.”
The third alleged victim, identified only by a first name, Chelan, said she met Cosby in Las Vegas in 1986 when she was 17 and working at the Hilton as a bell dispatcher at the bell desk. Chelan alleged Cosby invited her to his suite so he could introduce her to someone from the Ford modeling agency. There, she said, he gave her a blue pill he said was an antihistamine with a double shot of Amaretto.
Chelan said Cosby walked her to the bedroom and began sexually assaulting her. “I could not open my eyes. I couldn’t move or say anything. I felt something warm on my legs. Then I blacked out.” She said she woke up hours later to Cosby clapping his hands and saying, “Daddy says wake up.” He then gave her $1,500 to buy something nice for her and her grandmother, she said.
[From People]
“Daddy says wake up.” I don’t even know what to say to that horrific vision. All of Cosby’s accusers tell strikingly similar accounts of what took place, but Chelan’s description is perhaps the most haunting of them all. Cosby is scum.
FYI: Cosby cancelled two Tarrytown, NY shows immediately after Gloria’s press conference.
Photos courtesy of WENN
It was only a matter of time before Gloria Allred became involve in this situation and now that she is…watch out Fat Albert, you’re either going to be dirt poor or completely embarrassed.
Like Cosby is ever going to place $100 million in a fund and offer himself up like a sacrificial lamb to a pseudo-lawsuit … that’s just delusional.
Exactly. If he is the type to drug and rape women, he’s certainly not just going to own up to it and make amends. He knows he’s in the position of power, the statute of limitations is up for most of the cases, so he can just ignore the allegations and go on with his life, knowing eventually the media will get bored and move on to a new story.
Yep. My heart absolutely goes out to these women and I am glad their stories are finally really being heard. But I disagree that Gloria Allred’s involvement is a good thing. She got their hopes up about this $100 Million fund and potential waiving of the statute of limitations–which he will never agree to–all for the purpose of holding a press conference regarding a hot topic with three women that she knows have no standing to take legal action. Rape is a horrible, evil thing… but exploiting victims is pretty bad, too.
Mixtape, I doubt she got their hopes up. She knows he’ll never agree to do something like that. And she would have told her clients that straight up. But now she has the idea in the public’s head, and we will all be be clamoring “Yeah, Bill! If you have nothing to hide, just pony up the money and let a judge decide.” So he’ll settle fairly quickly just to keep them all quiet and make it go away. Well played Ms. Allred.
I still bet this is going to go on for a long time and I bet he’ll settle for a great deal of money, most definitely not $100 million, but a significant amount. There are just too many women talking.
Yeah that part of the press conference made no sense to me. I don’t see why he would waive the statue of limitations…he’d have to be out of his mind to do that! Everyone would see it as an admission of guilt (although any one with half a brain should KNOW he is DEFINITELY GUILTY). I’m just looking at this from his point of view though, why would he admit guilt and open himself up to lawsuits if he doesn’t have to? THat seems like such a silly pipe dream I don’t even know why they asked!
My hope is a recent victim would come forward and make charges stick.
She’s the Al Sharpton of lawsuits brought by women.
Horrific.
Yes, it is horrific what Bill Cosby has apparently done to all these women. That being said, Gloria Allred is a famewhore, an opportunist and an extortionist. She gives lawyers a bad name; which is very hard to do! She already knows that Cosby would never willingly waive the statute of limitations. She also knows that the SOL is long past and there is no legal remedy for these women.
“Cosby is scum.”
Completely agree, Bedhead! Love the press conference! One of the hardest parts of being a sexual assault victim is that everybody seems complicit in keeping you silent–nobody wants to hear about it and everybody wants to pretend everything is OK. That has a profoundly detrimental impact on mental health.
+100000000
These victims are courageous for coming forth with their stories knowing that people will not believe them. I applaud them and their bravery! I hope no matter what happens that they can find solace in knowing that they are not alone.
Those poor women. I hope they can find some peace in the fact that their stories are finally being heard and his reputation is ruined. Everyone but Whoopi believes them. Cosby will spend his last days exposed for the perverted monster he is. I know that’s not enough, but it’s something.
Whoopi AND Jill Scott.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/jill-scott-bill-cosby-twitter_n_6250838.html
It makes me so angry that Whoopi and Jill Scott would defend him, but then again there are always people who are going to side-eye the victims. Heck, my own mother was all like “well if it’s true how come they didn’t come forward before?” and I wanted to throw my hands up.
Needless to say, we had a very intense discussion about sexual assault, shame and so on.
Awful.
I wouldn’t say that. I don’t know that I believe them, and if you read some of the other sites there are a fair amount of comments especially now that Allred wants him to give up his statute of limitations and have a trial and set up a victims fund of 100 mil. thinking this is all for his money. Even some saying society likes to knock successful black men down, which is crazy but still.
Okay I know testosterone levels drop as you get older, but if he really is a serial rapist as these women seem to be claiming, it is not about the sex but power, and his age really probably wouldn’t affect that. Which means he probably would still be doing this, especially with the description of the attacks and the drugging. Allred instead of some crazy scheme for 100 million dollar victims fund which will never legally fly and she knows it should go searching for some victims that are not beyond the statute of limitations. Then take it to court instead of this. It just seems really wrong to me on all levels.
You “don’t know” if you believe them?
You clearly DON’T believe them so please just own it.
What’s really wrong is women wanting to get justice? NO. What’s really wrong is a man using his power and influence to drug and rape 20 women.
“Which means he probably would still be doing this, especially with the description of the attacks and the drugging.”
And how do you know that he’s not? Because no woman has come forward yet?
They go after the money because it’s what really hurts the offenders, and because there isn’t much else they can legally do at this point.
And, testosterone levels do drop, but we don’t know if he has any other medical conditions that may have slowed his “needs” down. Or, if his lawyers have been consulted in the past and told him to knock it off because they can’t hide it forever. And, remember his son died a while back, perhaps that reality slap woke him up. Who knows what’s going on in his life, but I do know that where there’s smoke there’s fire and there’s a lot of smoke here.
Sorry I really don’t know if I believe them, they could be telling the truth or not. I have worked in the PR media for years and before that News, and let me just say that the media and people get it wrong a lot. It is possible that this is a witch hunt. There are a lot of historical evidence that hysteria and witch hunts occur after people. Call me a cynic. Not saying I believe him either.
I just would really like to see one women go to court with a case and have this tried correctly and not on TMZ, Celebitchy, etc. Hopefully it he is a serial rapist someone who can do something will come forward.
That being said I am not going to his shows or watching his show anymore as it gives me the skivvies. Especially the picture attached to this story.
That’s why I refuse to read “other sites” about the Cosby story–too many comments are idiotic and misogynistic.
A few things:
There are far too many similar stories and OVER YEARS; not just in the last few months.
Some of the people might not be telling the entire truth, but that doesn’t mean THAT ALL of the people aren’t telling the entire truth.
Gloria Allred is a showboater. Lots of Big name-lawyers are. She was a woman’s rights advocate before she became the face of mistresses, FYI.
Someone’s art does not necessarily equate to character. If you look at proven admitted acts, Cosby is not the family man with family values he pretends to be, he chastised the black community for having multiple fathers within families, while HE HAD to admit multiple affairs while married. That’s not proof of rape, but it sure as shit is proof that his public persona is garbage. Do as I say, not as I do…
It’s always sad when there is a loss of a symbol that represented something good.
People are more important than symbols though.
I feel sorry for Cosby, in a way. Now he has to to contend with bad karma in his Winter years.
I feel sorry for people who were victimized, but felt powerless.
The advances the Cosby Show made for the community are not erased. Only the respect for Cosby as a man is.
And lastly, I just can’t anymore with this story.
@Noway-Your bias is so obvious. I don’t know why you keep trying to toe the line, unless you’re trolling.
Noway: you’d like to see a court case against Cosby? How about the court case brought against him in 2005, with 13 victims. A case he settled out of court. This domino effect ‘witchhunt’ as you call it, started because one of those 13 refused to be silenced any longer and unveiled herself hence the domino effect on other victims.
How about the interview he gave to the National Enquirer in which was later found. IN A COURT, to be a quid pro quo exchange where the NE killed a story they were working on that detailed one of his accuser’s rape allegations?
IF this was a witch hunt as he is saying, then by all means defend yourself. Instead he is falling back on the old ‘crazy/witchhunt’
What on earth do testosterone levels have to do with anything? As you say, these crimes are about power, dominance. Any person who has behaved like this is a danger to society, and even more so if they have committed these crimes and refuse to own up to it. Character is a huge factor in this.
I cannot ignore the testimony of 30 unconnected women with similar stories that corroborate MO of this creature. I believe them.
@Noway …
I agree with you. Not that I don’t believe something happened 30 and 40 years ago, but I just don’t believe all of the women now coming forward. Their stories are the same? Well, D’uh … It’s only been in the news–blow by blow–for weeks. My belief started wavering with Janice Dickerson. It’s been over 30 years and the statute of limitations has run out.
I think Cosby should stick to his guns because this has clearly become all about the Benjamins. They are trying this in the court of public opinion in an effort to make him give in and agree to civil trials.
You don’t know if you believe them?
If there was one or two victims, I could maybe see being skeptical. But 30+ women all having similar stories of being drugged and raped, and you don’t believe them? Even after his girlfriend who had consensual sex with him said that he had drugged her by slipping something in her drink too?
I just don’t see any rational reason to doubt their stories at this time. If there is something factual that can be put out there that would defend his innocence, I would consider it. But the people doubting these women seem to do so with nothing factual or logical to back it up.
Emma, it HAS been over 30 years, but many of these women have been telling the same story for DECADES! That is the insanity of the situation. It is getting attention now, but the claims have been out there for many, many years.
I don’t know that every single woman is telling the truth, but I believe most if not all are. And that also complicates things, because of the burden of proof for each individual case even if the statute hadn’t run out.
Also, I’m 58, and I remember how it was back then if a woman was raped. I’m not at all surprised that these women didn’t come forward at the time. It was considered shameful and disgraceful – to the victim, especially if she had gone somewhere alone with her attacker voluntarily. Factor in Crosby’s power and these women, who thought they were alone, had no reason to think they would be believed. They wouldn’t have been. Things have gotten better, but people still don’t want to believe it, in spite of overwhelming testimony. We still have far to go.
GoodNamesAllTaken, The more things change, the more they stay the same?
How about the slew of commenters asking where the parents were, asking how innocent are their girls if they went along, and how can they be more responsible for not getting raped? And also the classic “I don’t know if I believe them” (as in the sum total), I require DNA testing or hard proof, even though criminal cases don’t always have it?
It’s one thing to offer tips for being safe and aware of one’s surroundings for self-preservation. It’s another to question the motives, of what, ALL 30 people now? Imagine if this thread was about the kids abused by The Catholic Church. You think their purity, and their parents responsibility, and DNA would be required for people to consider any of the allegations as legitimate?
Who knew? Bill Cosby is holier than the pope.
Kiddo, exactly. People don’t want to believe it, still. And they will believe far more unbelievable things to avoid the unpleasant, awful truth. And their gutless inability to believe it keeps monsters like Cosby in business. It makes me want to scream.
You know I think it would be different if there was skepticism/cynicism for particular individuals, but this wholesale thrust of ‘everyone is in on this gig’ is a tough defense to digest.
I mean, we heard nothing like this about Denzel Washington, not one story. Not one woman ever came forth to say she was drugged by him. No one came out and said they were drugged by Harry Belafonte or Brad Pitt or Jerry Seinfeld, and whatnot. Cosby has upwards of 30 people saying this. Where would an idea like this come from, spread over the course of 30 years, and continue on? And why the drugging part? Why not plain rape.
It’s a very creative witch-hunt, with a twist.
Very creative, with a whole lot of people in on the plot. I guess they got together over the last 30 years and really perfected their story. Because men who play nice guys on TV never do anything wrong. That’s a proven fact.
The statues governing rape crimes need to be revisited. It’s very common for a victim to repress the horrific event until many years later. (This has been my experience.)
This man is a serial rapist who repeatedly drugged his victims. There should be some way these women are given some satisfaction (not necessarily referring to money, here) so that they might be able to heal, if possible.
It is utterly revolting that Cosby’s behavior continued for decades and the industry covered for “Daddy”. It makes me want to vomit.
Agree with everything you said. I don’t understand why there is statute of limitations for any violent crime.
The reason is practical and with rape it varies by state. It is hard to get a rape conviction in the first place without physical proof, and with time memories and evidence fades. Most of what I have heard from these women would be really hard to prosecute even without the statute. Most never went for help and have physical evidence, and some came back to see him. If this does anything I hope it encourages women to go get some help and see someone if anything like this occurs. I know many years ago the system was terrible and dismissed claims right away, and although it hasn’t changed enough it is considerably better.
What surprises me about this with Cosby is that no one has found a case where the statute would work. Ga. has 15 years for forceable rape. California is generally 10. Canada doesn’t even have a statute for rape. I am surprised someone hasn’t claimed he did it in Canada yet.
Yes, I know the reason is practical, and in this case there is no physical evidence that I know of. But that isn’t always the case.
I’m not surprised at your last comment since we know you’re a big Cosby defender. It makes me sick, as do you.
Wow I make you sick because I have a different opinion. That makes me sad for you. As the world is a better place when people with differing opinions can listen and learn from each other. I get your point and others on here especially if that person or someone you know was a victim of sexual assault. I am not really a Cosby defender, I just don’t believe that people should be tried, quartered and punished on a gossip site. I believe we can have a better system than this or at least we should strive for one.
What’s the “better system”, exactly?
The patriarchal social system that essentially forced these women into silence and allowed Cosby to claim more victims over the course of 20-30 years?
Or are we talking about the judicial system that refused to indict Daniel Panteleo or Darren Wilson?
Forgive me if I don’t have much faith in the “system” being objective, equitable, and just.
“I just don’t believe that people should be tried, quartered and punished on a gossip site.”
That’s the problem: your empathy is for the perpetrator and not the victims.
That’s why people are calling you out–because it’s callous as hell.
@Noway: “I just don’t believe that people should be tried, quartered and punished on a gossip site.”
You might want to Google the definition of gossip in your spare time.
noway, yes it is hard to get a rape conviction after years have passed. However, the statue of limitations makes the ability to convict moot. If the statute of limitations gets removed, then claims that have evidence to support it will get to go to trial. As it stands now, the cases that have evidence that withstands the years have no option to go to trial.
The statute only limits the ability to get a trial at all. It doesn’t determine whether someone can successfully be brought up on charges or found guilty after time has passed.
Noway,
I have nothing to learn from you or your “different” opinion. You’re singing the same old song that has protected rapists like Cosby from the consequences of their actions for all time. And the world is certainly not a better place because of it. It’s a darker, less compassionate and more dangerous place.
If depends on the state. I know from a friend who is an attorney in Florida that Florida has no SOL for rape.
“The statues governing rape crimes need to be revisited”
I am curious as to why we have a statute of limitations at all? I am sure there is SOME logic behind it, but to an extent it almost sounds like “Well, if you rape, murder, rob and get away with it for X number of years–lucky you–you get away with it permanently!” Doesn’t leave the victim of said crime any less raped, murdered or robbed.
I also wish there was a way for all these woman to come forward anonynmously, and demand a sum of money that is then given to a charity of their choice (maybe something that helps victims of these types of crimes)
I don’t feel that they should HAVE to hide their names, and I think they should get money…not that there would ever be an amount that would make these assaults “ok”. But if they didn’t get money, or publicity–then what would all these defenders use as the “reason” they are coming forward now? They would have to accept that they are coming forward simply because Cosby DID these things and should be held accountable.
Shame on Whoopi and Jill Scott. The # od accusers is nearing 30 and yet they still think he is INNOCENT? FFS!
Murder has no statute of limitations along with some other violent crimes. California and some other states have a DNA exclusion on rape. If the women reported the rape and a rape kit was performed, and the DNA matched a person no matter how long the incident occurred, then they have a year from when the match was made to file charges. Wish it was more than a year, but a pretty good exclusion none the less.
A lot of the problem with rape with the law is there are degrees of sexual assault, and not really sure how I feel about this because to me a rape is a rape. Still the degree of the assault should dictate the punishment and that is the reason for the degrees same with murder I guess. It just seems far more convoluted with rape.
I dont disagree regarding repealing the statute of limitations. But I am positive that there is no way any prosecutor could secure a conviction here. And not just because of Cosbys stature.
The burden of proof in the court of public opinion is near nil. Not so in a court of law and here there is just no evidence of non-consent in any of these cases. And the sheer number of accusers doesnt change that. Each case would be weighed on its own merit and when you do that, at best you have man who used recreational drugs and had sex with women he was not married to. And I’m sorry but staying quiet for so long, so that there is no trustworthy trail (I mean not one of them even saw a doctor) definitely weakens their allegations in that it makes them so much harder to prove.
“Mister Cosby where were you on the evening of February 26th 1972 at around 7pm?” How do you think thats going to go?
Frankly all the energy that goes into telling women how not to get raped needs to be diverted to how to respond if you are raped.
Brandi one of the best comments I have heard but I would alter it to this. We need to not only spend our energy teaching women how to not get raped, how to deal with sexual harassment and assault, but to put more energy in how to respond when one of these occurs.
“We need to not only spend our energy teaching women how to not get raped”
Um……
Yeah! Let’s make sure women don’t let themselves get raped instead of teaching men not to rape!
Because women letting themselves get raped is the problem here!!
Right. All those stupid women who didn’t learn how not to get raped. Idiots.
All of the education in the world is not going to matter much when an assault actually happens. The overwhelming feelings of shame and trauma tend to overshadow that. I know this personally. It takes a someone with an extremely strong will or someone with massive amounts of support to come forward and claim sexual harassment, assault, rape and molestation. Not only that but victims can be paid off to keep silent, especially from a man of Cosby’s wealth. A victim could (and probably most often) be threatened either with personal violence or assault on their loved ones if they come forward. That’s what happened to me. My family and in particular my little brother was threatened if I ever said anything. And I believed my attacker wholeheartedly would have come after my family. I never said a word for 15 years. THIS is what these women are going through. They have finally found a sense of camaraderie and shared bravery in telling their stories. They have finally found support from people who believe them.
No, sometimes sheer numbers of witnesses testifying to similar incidences are used to prove a single case. Evidence in court is not limited to ‘hard’ evidence, like DNA. There are cases which are entirely circumstantial, especially in criminal trials. The standard in criminal cases is beyond ‘reasonable doubt’, not beyond a shadow of a doubt. The threshold is lower in civil cases. I don’t understand why everyone thinks witness testimony isn’t significant. Because IT IS.
Sure, but if they repond the way the rape crisis centre in my city did when my daughter was drugged by her boss, then it’s really an uphill battle. They weren’t really interested in helping or doing anything, since she regained consiousness at the point when he’d removed half her clothing, & started screaming bloody murder & demanded he take her home. Her memory was patchy after that, but knew she wasn’t raped. Still, it was a sexual assault, plus a drugging. The first social worker we spoke to didn’t even seem to KNOW it was a sexual assault; neither did I, having never experienced anything like this before. She said it was no use taking a blood sample as the drug would be out of her system already (how about taking it JUST IN CASE?) and that she should feel lucky she wasn’t actually raped, & just chalk it up to experience. No concern, either, that the jerk owns a chain of restaurants & has scores of young women working for him, a large pool of potential victims, & probably has done this before, and has done it since. The story goes on, because I persisted, but the police declined to go after the guy. I’ve been just livid lately, again, with all the news about Bill Cosby, & Jian Ghomeshi here in Toronto. My daughter is more serene now than I am, but I fear she’s just buried her feelings. Once in a while she has an emotional meltdown, but these are happening less often now. 🙁
Azurea, that experience reeks of malpractice and negligence. I’m very sorry.
Thanks, Kiddo, it really does. I have been writing to reporters for all the big papers reporting on these stories, and I wrote to the sex crimes unit of the Toronto Police, and complained about ALL of it…I actually got a decent response, and these things are being looked into.
“I’m sorry but staying quiet for so long, so that there is no trustworthy trail ”
THEY DID NOT STAY QUITE FOR SO LONG.
NO ONE LISTENED WHEN THEY REPEATEDLY MADE THEIR CLAIMS.
BLOOP! Gloria Allred Has to be good for something other than repping mistresses NOW attention is gonna be paid I don’t even care if it’s for all the wrong reasons I LOVE that this is turning into a pressure Cooker for the Son of a Bitch
QQ: OT, but your hair is fabulous. That colour, that cut!!! Amazing. You look fabulous.
On topic: yep. Gloria might be a bottom feeder, but for once she’s using her powers for good.
Cosby….Your move!!
Off topic: I agree, QQ is gorgeous!
Look at me coming back to all this love!! Thank you babies!
Yes, I agree, the press conference just made things worse for Cosby, and all that can be hoped for at this point is that this monster is shamed into a corner.
Yes, it made things miserable for him, but he is always going to have defenders. Frankly, I have no respect for Gloria Allred. As someone said, she’s a bottom feeder. I want to see someone with gravitas take this on. Cosby needs to be held accountable for all his crimes. Right now, there have been no allegations within the statute of limitations, which is really annoying. But I’m hopeful that other women will come forward, maybe some who still have viable careers and will really get people listening. As someone said upthread, it’s unlikely he stopped drugging and raping women. It’s probably just that the women he drugged/raped recently are still in the business and are fearful of being blacklisted.
Cindy, Santia, LAK exactly what I mean, Gloria is absolute trash But this is the type of public flameout he deserves
This is so vile on so many levels.
Also, I’m so disappointed in Jill Scott’s support of this man and her blame the victim mentality.
I was a HUGE fan of Scott so I’m really bummed.
I was kind of disappointed by Jill Scott too. I’m sure she’s not his only celebrity supporter either. They just have the sense not to do it publicly.
I was so saddened by her comments.i expected more from her.
And what’s lost on Scott with her “get a rape kit, get evidence” comment is that from the 1960s through the early 1980s, not only were rape kits held at police stations (how shameful to have to go into a police department and get a rape kit instead of a hospital) but that the specimen tests only linked to a family line, not to a specific, definitive perpetrator. In that respect, rape kits weren’t truly conclusive.
But this very basic fact is almost irrelevant in light of the pain, embarrassment, shame and utter shock that these women must have experienced after being raped by a man as powerful and beloved as Bill Cosby.
Yeah I don’t think she’s thought it through very much. I understand that it can be hard to come to terms with this if you know him personally, but…maybe just don’t say anything publicly then.
Whoopi has such a nuanced view of rape (http://youtu.be/nZskUvAGyjQ) that it would have surprised me if she did anything other than support Cosby. But I’m very disappointed in Jill Scott. Does she think that rapists are monsters who cannot be nice to some women while taking advantage of others? That Bill Cosby “has done a lot for the Black community” does not absolve him—if anything it makes his devastating treatment of all these women more damnable. Did he not consider the shame his actions would bring to the community once his actions came to light? Going around telling black kids to “pull their pants up” when he was forceably pulling down the pants of women he rendered unconscious?
He is absolutely despicable. And Jill Scot? I am no longer a fan.
Yeah I used to REALLY like Whoopi, until I found out that she’s a f*cked up rape apologist.
“Going around telling black kids to “pull their pants up” when he was forceably pulling down the pants of women he rendered unconscious?”
Mmmhmmm.
Good post. That’s an interesting thought about how his self-appointed role as a leader in his community might have brought shame to his community. I want to add though that Bill Cosby is not the official spokesperson for Black America, and if we viewed him that way, that’s on us. I think he actively did try to cultivate that image, but he’s one man. If we don’t think of Phil Spector or Stephen Collins or Mama June as “representing” their race, we shouldn’t conflate Cosby with his community either. White privilege again, the freedom to be seen as an individual and not a collective.
Eh, Cosby’s commentary on the black community has been fairly controversial in itself. A lot of African Americans feel he projects internalized racism onto other blacks, promoting a white cultural model that must be followed in order to be considered “acceptably” black. That’s not even getting into the class issues some of his comments brought to light.
Either way, Cosby’s contribution to the black community can’t be that great if he was fully willing to exploit those power structures to victimize women. I’m sure a fair percentage of his victims were black, and if getting a rape indictment is hard enough for white women, we can imagine how many obstacles are in place for non-whites.
I agree with you on all points, Veronica.
He’s so Done….
He’s FINISHED. Good for Gloria taking this on.
I feel awful for those women and it sickens me when people in various media outlets, ask why they took so long.
They tried to tell or did tell, or wanted to, but Cosby had the PR machine and lawyers behind him.
…what i don’t understand is that in one of the previous posts here on CB it was mentioned that one of the victims (i think it was janice dickinson) wrote a book about this but was shut down by Cosby’s lawyers.
How is that possible? I mean if she had published it and it would have gone to court it’s statement against statement, right? I mean if she wrote that book she was obviously not scared of the publicity. Sorry about my English …
Janice’s ghostwriter was interviewed on CNN.He confirmed she told him about the rape while writing her book.He said the lawyers for Harper Collins wouldn’t allow an unsubstainted claim of rape to be included in book.
Cosby was the second most trusted man in America at the time .
Cosby almost got Wendy Williams fired and Marc LaMonte Hill got in trouble for challenging Cosby.
Another former model from Canada wasn’t raped but he tried to open her legs before she pushed him down.She was on ET Canada.She still calls him Mr. Cosby to this day.
Lastly he took the time to tweet thanks but didn’t tweet” I didn’t rape any of these women”
She had an interview with Howard Stern in 2007 (I think) in which she said something very bad happened with Cosby, but she couldn’t elaborate on it.
It’s quite clear that HIS lawyers/celebrity/hollywood friends frightened her into non disclosure.
It’s amazing that it took a somewhat obscure ( as far as name recognition) comedian to pave the way that made it possible for the decades long rumours to finally be taken seriously such that Janice could finally tell her story without fear.
Horrifyingly similar reports from all of the women! Hope all of them (16-17 women so far?) get together and bring civil suit against him or something. Nobody should get away from this kind of abuse.One woman says she was 15yrs old when she was raped by him!
The statute of limitations may have expired fir a criminal offense, but can they still sue him in civil court?
Civil statute are usually less than criminal statutes. So far most would expire too.
I can’t look at pictures of him anymore. I have to avert my eyes from that smug but menacing face.
Me too.
I think it’s telling that none (to my knowledge) of his former co-workers have really spoken out about this.. Raven Simone, did of course, but I would like to know about the rest of the Cosby Show crew and hear their opinions. I loved Cosby in the ’80’s. I watched an early episode of his show a few months ago and felt guilty for enjoying it. I also saw Hannah and Her Sisters recently and fell in love with that movie all over again. I don’t want to support these men, but where do we draw the line at art and Artist? I feel sick right now expressing this. I hope Cosby lives a very long life and I hope these women can finally find peace.
There is an interesting essay about this topic on The Daily Beast. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/20/newsflash-bill-cosby-is-not-cliff-huxtable.html
I’d loved Bill Cosby from PicturePages and Fat Albert and listening to my mom’s old records, and then I loved him as Cliff Huxtable. I read his books. His work was always a part of my life. (Heck, I even saw Leonard Part 6 in the theater, and I’m not sure even Cosby can say that). Can I go back and enjoy that stuff now? I don’t know. It won’t be the same. I don’t know if I can watch him without thinking of all this. I’d like to think that maybe someday, a long time from now, I can laugh at the Cosby Show again, but it will probably always be tainted. Even if he is exonerated in court and the court of public opinion, there will always be some doubt. But if we do listen to “Himself” or watch him lip-syncing old songs and dancing with his TV family again, and we find ourselves enjoying it, I don’t think that we need to feel guilty and beat ourselves up about it. We might still feel guilty about it, but I don’t think we should. The fact is Cosby is many things, and one of those things was he was very talented and funny. It’s not all or nothing, saint or sinner. I don’t think he’s a good person. I don’t think he deserves to be forgiven for what he’s allegedly done. But he had a lot of facets to him. He did some good in his life in addition to the bad. The bad was really, really bad, but some of the good was pretty good, especially with his donations to universities, etc, and his charity in his son’s name. It doesn’t excuse what he may have done. It doesn’t make it okay. It will never be okay if he did those things. But we’re all complex human beings. We all have a lot of facets to us, good and bad. Cosby may be a rapist and a horrible human being, but his work may also, in theory, be able to stand on its own.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not an apologist for Cosby. I know we should believe someone is innocent until proven guilty, but in my heart I believe these women. I’m not on his side. I’m never going to buy one of his books or albums again, or buy a ticket to hear him speak. But I’m saying it’s okay if you want to laugh at Cliff Huxtable without feeling complicit in his portrayer’s (alleged) crimes.
Thank you Amy, that was a very insightful thing to say. You’ve given me something to think about. I know people are complex, and like you, I listened to his albums and watched all his shows. He opened my white girl mind and I will always be greatful for those memories. Otherwise, f*ck him.
Not to mention the fact that all his co-stars have to kiss those residual checks goodbye, and they had no part in what Mr. Cosby is accused of having done. (Add me to the chorus of those who believe the women who have come forward, particularly as I have a close friend who worked on a project with Mr. Cosby and was told by her employer to never take a meeting alone.)
I think the number is up to 30 now, and I really hope there will be legal ramifications.
Whoopie Goldberg is a broken record on these topics. What is her trauma?
What really infurates me is that these women were able to talk after one man called out Cosby.
Before that nobody was willing to listen to them.
I couldn’t agree more.
Yup, very sad.
Hannibal Buress did a great thing, he used his platform to call out someone powerful, who could have derailed his career, and on whose behalf a number of people hid the truth. As someone said above, these cases are hard to prove non consent for, even though it now comes out that Cosby had a rep in the business. So these women needed an outside party to stand up and I’m glad it was Hannibal.
I am not saying what he did wasn’t right.
He did a great thing, but some of these women talked before him, and nobody gave them the attention they deserved, but after he said it… everything changed, this makes me sad.
So true. Women say it, it gets ignored. A man says it, and now everyone listens.
People defending him just because he’s Bill Cosby. So ALL of these people are lying and the only one telling the truth is him? Don’t buy that. Where there’s smoke there’s fire.
I support the accusers but I seriously side-eye anything Gloria Allred gets involved in. It seems like she goes right for the high-profile, high-wallet defendants. Maybe she does a lot of pro bono work, I don’t know. But at this point she seems less a woman’s rights crusader and more an ambulance chaser. I’ve seen her in action for 20 years now and I think accusers who get involved with her actually hurt their chances both in court (if it gets there) and in public perception. Of course, she wants $100 million fund ‘for the victims’. I’m sure she won’t take a significant chunk at all. And news shows who use Lisa Bloom to discuss this case really should make a disclosure that Gloria Allred is her mother. I watched LB on TV yesterday and there wasn’t one mention of it when she was discussing the issues. All that being said, I hope that even if these women (all of them) don’t get their day in court–and that’s very unlikely, at least criminally–they at least are witnessing some measure of justice meted out. For someone like Cosby who is apparently all about control, he has lost control over virtually every aspect of this story. He’s not controlling the women, the narrative or the fallout/repercussions. His reputation and legacy (probably THE most important thing to him) is in shambles regardless of anything else and his career is dead. Congratulations to Hannibal Burress for getting the ball rolling (and getting trashed initially) and to Barbara Bowman for daring to be the first woman (in this go-round) to really come out publicly and open the door for the other women. I would have liked to believe that this wasn’t possible by Bill Cosby for, unlike Polanski and Allen, he had the image of ‘Cliff Huxtable’ and all–just someone you would have liked to believe was better than this. Someone who represented commitment to family, to an education, to bettering yourself and taking pride in yourself. But while Cliff Huxtable still may represent those things, he was obviously just a funhouse mirror reflection of his portrayer. Maybe Polanski and Allen, like Collins and Cosby, will someday face the same public and professional backlash and that all the predators living in the shadows created by fear and trauma will someday be revealed as well.
Gloria Allred’s firm does a HUGE amount of pro bono work for women and children, and she’s been a huge legal advocate for women for almost fifty years. I don’t mind her showboating, because underneath she is a good egg, and has done a huge amount of good.
Did any of you see this story?
http://www.people.com/article/bill-cosby-sexual-assault-scandal-30-rock-made-joke
ETA: Just found out one of his accusers was a teenager who worked on his PicturePages show. I remember PicturePages. I think I want to throw up.
How am I supposed to take Jill Scott seriously anymore when she tweets nonsense like this “Rape is a despicable, cowardly crime. If you’ve been raped- plz do NOT shower, go to police IMMEDIATELY, have a rap kit done. GET EVIDENCE.” Is this real life? Victim blaming at it’s finest. I highly doubt, at the height of Bill Cosby’s career, that anyone would have believed these women even if they had come forward. The man was Cliff Huxtable, he was a powerful guy in the 70s and 80s. I don’t want to live in a world where Cliff Huxtable is a rapist, I don’t want to believe that a man who paved the way for so many black entertainers is capable of this. But who am I to doubt these women? What do they have to gain by going forward? Don’t even start with the money thing, because several of them said they are not interested in that.
Also, if you are held up during an armed robbery and the perp is wearing gloves, go screw yourself, nothing happened unless there is DNA, right?
And the sad things is that many of these women DID come forward, but they were laughed at and discouraged by the lawyers and people they did report it to. Some came forward and were paid off.
That didn’t offend me as much as her other comments. (Though she’s veering close to the ‘rape rape’ territory) It IS important to report it immediately IF YOU CAN. Make the complaint, get physical evidence whenever possible. It’s a sad fact that the more time that goes by, especially without a rape kit, it’s harder to get a conviction when you do come forward. So many rapes aren’t armed assailants with gloves–evidence is possible and vital in non-stranger rapes where it can come down to he said/she said, circumstantial evidence. Rapists can, and do, still get away with it but it’s much harder when a rape kit says there’s his semen, vaginal bruising and tearing and it’s all photographed and documented. Not doing this, or waiting too long, doesn’t make you any less of a victim, it just makes it harder to get a conviction someday.
Yeah but in the older cases, how many of the women would have been blamed?
And back then there were no PSAs on acquaintance and date rapes. Even with kits, how easy would it have been for Cosby to say ALL of it was consensual? Even perps not known to victims (who were murdered) try to pull out that card when they know they left body fluids behind. If every one of these women had kits, to this day, how many who are arguing for proof would even believe it now? With the exception of a videotaped confession, some people might never buy it.
Why is Whoopi defending so many rapists? What’s up with that?
Whoopie is PRO CELEBRITY, end of.
Disgusting!
I remember her defense of Michael Vick. That still disgusts me.
Male celebrities Mel Gibson,Woody,Chris Brown,Ray Rice,Polanski,Cosby
She is very smug and proud of herself for her attitude towards rapists.
I appreciate that Whoopi takes the role of skeptic. Don’t agree with her, but I do appreciate it and think even that is necessary.
Devil’s advocate can be a thankless role… as most of us have found out even on this site from time to time. (I still don’t agree with her 99.99999% of the time, but she does get a discussion going).
See, I don’t think she is a devil’s advocate. I think she is squarely in the court of ‘celebrity above reproach’. I think she is also often incredibly awkward in the manner in which she raises objections or states opinions.
Much as I love the net, there are aspects that disturb me. On one hand who would have heard Hannibal Buress’ routine if it hadn’t gone viral – great! This story would have remained buried otherwise.
But there comes a moment for me, usually online but not always, when collective opinion morphs into “fact” and takes on a life of its own. I’m not immune either, but I think the voices that counter group opinion are vital, and I suspect Whoopi is reacting to the group think as much as whatever personal ties she might have to Cosby
Fair enough db, point taken.
Yes, I think Whoopi just tries to look at the complexities. That’s valuable, and somebody has to do it. Thankless job, but she’s tough enough.
But I think Bill is toast by now and that will certainly affect the rerunability of any shows he was on, affecting the rest of the casts as well. Too many people have been coming forward and really for too long. I remember hearing rumbles about one incident many many years ago, although not enough to be sure there was anything to it. I also didn’t feel comfortable watching him by the Cosby Show era, something bothered me about him and unfortunately I’ve felt that way before about actors or politicians and have always been proven right that something really was off about the person. I don’t remember feeling that way about Bill back when he was starting out as a standup comedian or in that spy show he was on in his younger days. But he definitely began to creep me out as Dr. Huxtable…. Hopefully he’s no longer dangerous, because the odds of any legal redress are essentially zero.
The only way he’s no longer dangerous I think is that maybe his cover’s blown now and people know to watch out. The testosterone issue some people have mentioned is I think largely irrelevant. This kind of thing isn’t usually about sex; it’s about power. And there’s always Viagra too.
I agree that there should be no time limit on violent crimes. People, men and women both, repress memories and they should have the right to seek justice in a court of law.
I also agree that trial by media is a slippery slope and I will not be a party to it. Giving up the right of “innocent until proven guilty” is NOT the direction I want to see my country going, so I will defend everyone’s right to a fair and impartial trial.
It’s the most important right we have, as citizens of Canada (and the USA of course, but I am Canadian), the right to legal counsel, the right to defend ourselves through the court system.
I hope he is brought to trial, by any means possible. I hope Gloria can help these women seek their justice.
I don’t think legally anything can happen to him now, which is a damn shame.
I wish he’d just admit to it. These women, his victims, have been forced to be quiet too long, and have had to spend decades being accused of just wanting money and attention, having people not believe them, etc. Maybe it would give them some feeling of vindication if he’d just admit it and accept responsibility for the crimes and the hurt he’s caused, and finally stop the charade.
It is overwhelming and so much of a pile on, I can’t help but to have some sympathy for him. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, this is a very public protest made by a collection of people who now have numbers in support of sharing the same ordeal. Maybe it’s not so much what happens TO him, but that it is freeing for the victims to stand up and be heard, even if nothing comes of it?
I can’t say I have any sympathy for him. It’s maybe a little sad that for all his life’s work, he will always be remembered for this, but part of me thinks GOOD. He got away with it for too long.
Maybe it’s more like pity. I don’t know. He’s a guy who had everything against all odds and who likely could have had a great many women by virtue of stardom, wealth and persona alone. And yet, he took to drugging people. There is some serious sickness lurking under the surface.
I feel no sympathy for this perv. Yes, he could have had many woman, but he chose to drug woman so he could do vile things to them that no woman would allow consentually.
“Maybe it’s not so much what happens TO him, but that it is freeing for the victims to stand up and be heard, even if nothing comes of it?”
Yeah, that’s along the lines of what I’m thinking if he were to admit to it, I’d think it might bring them some relief, a sort of “I told you so!” that they could throw at those who haven’t believed them or thought his star power was more important.
I do think it has to be helpful in some way to have strength in numbers, as sad as that is to say, knowing none of them was alone in this. I hope some of the victims, especially those who felt isolated by what happened to them, can find strength and support in each other.
I have NO sympathy for him. Just like I have ZERO sympathy for Jian Ghomeshi. Where was THEIR empathy for these women when they were doing monstrous things to them?
You make a really good point, Kiddo – that there must be some kind of sickness in him to do such things to women.
I’m not going to hold my breath, sadly.
The count is now at or nearing 30 accusers and his wife, still…*crickets*. Where is your loyalty to your fellow females? These are your sisters! Speak the f–k up and be a woman!
Yeah, after that NPR interview where he shut down, refused to utter a word in response, you could hear his wife thanking the interviewer twice I think, and it struck me this is not the first time at this rodeo for her, either. I wonder what her deal is – they’ve been married a long time. Is she just in denial? She’s got to feel utterly humiliated on some level, right? I wonder if she’ll continue to stand by her man as the sickening details are revealed.
She’s very likely mentally/emotionally abused by, Cosby, is what I’m thinking.
Maybe she’s been drugged and raped a time or two. That’s how that p.o.s. rapist likes it, when the woman is unconscious.
This story is still so shocking to me. He should be a case on the Investigation Discovery Channel.
Only a small % of rape accusations are made up. I’m too lazy to look up the exact percentage, but it’s something like 2%. Id rather believe the women, and be wrong (small chance of that happening) then believe the man. #ibelievewomen
I think I read it is 2% as well.
From Stanford University:
“Only about 2% of all rape and related sex charges are determined to be false, the same percentage as for other felonies (FBI). “
Ginger, I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry for what happened to you, and I hope you are triumphing in your life now in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY!
I hope he has a terrible, horrible, no good very bad Christmas.
…and every Christmas after that, for every woman he violated.
Who cares, it was an 80’s thang … good times:-) These bishes need to look for a handout elsewhere, because they’ll never see a penny from the Cos.