Last time I spoke of Bill Cosby, he was trying to bully an AP journo to bury an interview where he didn’t admit anything about the renewed abuse allegations. I gave credit to Hannibal Buress for his viral stand-up routine that brought the Cosby stories back into mainstream awareness. This week’s issue of the Sunday Washington Post made the same statement about Hannibal; that’s not all. The Sunday WaPo devoted their cover story in their print edition to the ongoing Cosby scandals. They include a full timeline of the abuse allegations, which is a useful reference. I can’t even keep track of all the women who have come forward, so the timeline is a helpful, but awful overview.
One of the latest women bringing allegations happens to be Michelle Hurd of Law & Order and Gossip Girl. The WaPo reacts to the increasing number of allegations with an extended article featuring new interviews and photos of the victims. The full piece is worth reading, but here are the intro paragraphs:
They didn’t see a comedian. They saw the “king of the world.”
Long before there was a Dr. Cliff Huxtable, before rumpled sweaters and a collective anointing as America’s dad, Bill Cosby was magnified a hundredfold in the eyes of the young models and actresses he pulled into his orbit. For them, he embodied the hippest of the 1960s and ’70s Hollywood scene, a mega-star with the power to make somebodies out of nobodies.
He partied with Hugh Hefner and was a regular at the magazine mogul’s Playboy Mansion bacchanals. He co-owned a restaurant and hit the hottest clubs. He sizzled.
Those wild, largely forgotten days clash with the avuncular image that has been Cosby’s most enduring impression on American culture. And they have been jarringly cast in a wholly different light as a torrent of women have told — and in some cases retold — graphic, highly detailed stories of alleged abuse by Cosby.
Sixteen women have publicly stated that Cosby, now 77, sexually assaulted them, with 12 saying he drugged them first and another saying he tried to drug her. The Washington Post has interviewed five of those women, including a former Playboy Playmate who has never spoken publicly about her allegations. The women agreed to speak on the record and to have their identities revealed. The Post also has reviewed court records that shed light on the accusations of a former director of women’s basketball operations at Temple University who assembled 13 “Jane Doe” accusers in 2005 to testify on her behalf about their allegations against Cosby.
[From Sunday Washington Post]
Cosby is a sorry excuse for a human, and I’m glad that women are no longer afraid of him and feel free to make their stories public. Cosby thinks of it as a smear campaign, of course.
Oh, this is interesting. Cosby performed in the Bahamas on Thursday night for a women’s charity event. This is an organization that supports issues including rape counseling and domestic violence. They didn’t cancel Cosby’s pre-scheduled appearance, and Cosby had a blast onstage. He pretended to cry and joked about recent fallout from countless allegations: “Parents are coming and taking their children home, saying to me, ‘Bill Cosby, you are an evil man! We will never eat your Jello pudding again!’” Yep, that’s right. Cosby thinks everything is very funny, and his audience laughed along with him.
Ridiculous, right? This dude has no remose whatsoever. The good thing is that Hannibal Buress brought Bill’s rep back to the surface. The bad thing? It took a male comedian to make this point whereas several women were ignored when they reported allegations of sexual assault.
Let’s close with bulletpoints:
* David Letterman’s staff was thrilled when the Cosby appearance was cancelled. The New York Daily News published his bizarre backstage requests of the past, including how Cosby would request that talkshow staff to come into his dressing room and watch him eat.
* The Daily Beast has a good story about Cosby’s history of silencing his accusers through tabloid smears and threats.
* Cosby has given an interview with Florida Daily. He says, “I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn’t have to answer to innuendos. People should fact-check. People shouldn’t have to go through that and shouldn’t answer to innuendos.” Notice that Cosby never denies the allegations.
Photos courtesy of WENN
I can’t even stand to look at his face anymore knowing what kind of person he is. And speaking of his face, have you noticed how sour and mean it is when he’s not “on”? His face definitely shows his character.
The Grinch was more loveable than this man.
I feel the same. I used to love Bill Cosby. Saw him live 2 years ago and loved it. Now, I can’t even stand to look at him.
He us all conned for a very very long time. He is not a good person inside.
And i’m using this as a litmus test of my MIL. Not that I don’t already have a preformed opinion. She thinks Cosby is wonderful and these women are just after money. I’ve nearly written this woman off entirely. Her rant that women who claim this years later prove it’s only about the money make me shocked she produced my husband.
Unfortunately her thoughts on this are largely the majority.
I know, and I’m glad to come on this site and read reasoned, intelligent comments instead of blame-the-victim garbage.
I was telling my husband yesterday how telling the comments are. On mainstream sites, comments are victim-blaming in the worst kind of way. But on gossip sites where people know more about the celebrities because they follow this stuff, comments are generally very supportive of the victims. Not just this site. D-Listed comments absolutely blasted Cosby. Those who don’t believe the accusations really know very little about the situation.
Dlisted, Gawker and Celebitchy have had the best Cosby commentary IMO.
it’s the next cover of People, FYI.
He gives me that ‘vomit in your mouth’ feeling. Shudder.
Spot-on. We have had a very high profile actor get done for child abuse dating back to the 80s in australia recently and Cosby’s self righteous & arrogant demeanour is very similar. Just vile.
I know Caz, I agree that it very much has the same feel about it as Robert Hughes. Sadly, they were two shows I adored in the eighties, but I will never watch them again, because of these men.
It’s similar to Rolf Harris too. I believe there will be so many more of these horrid events come out in the not too distant future, here in Australia and everywhere else. I hope women (and men) feel safe to come forward and tell their stories.
His attitude throughout this absolutely disgusts me. And they fact that so many people are quick to dismiss the stories because they didn’t tell them immediately.
One of my male friends is like that, why didn’t they just go pubic immediately? He also mentioned that maybe some of the women just wanted money.
For whatever reasons, this not understanding how women react to rape/abuse/harassment is a major, major blind spot. He insists that if we’d actually gotten together and had children that he’d make sure that any daughters would be able to protect themselves and stand up for themselves and not be afraid. And I keep trying to tell him, it’s not that easy, it’s not that simple.
Your friend sounds like a bit of a dumbass. Sadly, there are plenty of men that think exactly like him.
Even if he doesn’t understand the power differential between Cosby and his victims or even the complexities behind rape and sexual assault, you would think that simple math would convince him that 16 women aren’t all lying. Also, the fact that Cosby has never outright denied any of the allegations should be a red flag to anyone with common sense.
Except several of the women did go public immediately. 3 of them pressed charges. An additional one was going to and then did a settlement to not say anything. (And she’s kept to that)
It’s people rewriting history.
He’s not really a dumbass, except on this, it’s really a blind spot for him, where his normal empathy fails. I’ll let him know that the women did go public immediately, I hadn’t paid that much attention to the specifics except to know that Cosby is a serial rapist.
@cr
I think sometimes it’s hard for men to deal with this topic because statistically, if they know at least five women, then they know at least one who’s been assaulted. I think a lot of men are aware of that, and they just can’t deal with it, so their empathy “fails”, as you said. When I’ve pushed men in the past on why they don’t believe rape victims, more than one has said something like, If I believe her, then I have to believe all of them, and I can’t deal with that reality. It’s easier to chalk it up to golddigging or attention seeking than to face the reality that rape is so prevalent. I think the “my daughters wouldn’t be raped” thing comes from the same place. They think they can exert some control over it and in that way *their* circle of women will be exempt from the reality. Of course that’s not how the world works, but I can understand where that thought process comes from.
@ Algernon-That “thought process” is incredibly harmful and irresponsible, not to mention cowardly.
If men would rather stick their heads in the sand than face the reality, then ultimately they’re contributing to the social construct that essentially permits rape.
I’m sorry if I sound super-harsh, but I’m tired of men acting like fragile babies when there is an average of 237,868 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year. As a society we have an obligation to be honest and open about the prevalence of rape and sexual assault if we ever want things to change.
@Kitten
I agree completely. Every time I’ve had this discussion with a man, I’ve said something like that, that they’re making it worse by not dealing with it in a realistic and productive way. I’m just saying I think that’s where the attitude comes from, for most men. And we shouldn’t baby them, and I don’t. When I encounter a man saying dumb@$$ stuff about rape and rape culture, I call them and make them talk about it. I don’t think it’s an attitude that should be fostered or tolerated, *at all*. But I also don’t think having that attitude makes all men monsters. If anything, having more than one guy tell me he can’t deal with the reality of rape culture brings home how important it is that we **do** face it.
@L If you’re referring to the civil suit, I believe only one woman, Constand, actually pressed charges, the rest were identified supporting witnesses. The suit was filed, and ultimately settled, because the DA didn’t feel there was enough evidence to get a conviction. Which is sadly how most of these cases go. And why so many people don’t report assault. Unless you’re bleeding and attacked by a complete stranger, with DNA evidence it’s hard (sadly) to get people to believe it was rape. People question the victim relentlessly. Why did she drink that? Why didn’t she go to the police right away? Why did she stay after? It’s no wonder so many woman don’t go to the police. And if anyone tries to tell their story, try to warn others, they get attacked again.
@Algernon-YES! 100%
I hope I didn’t seem like I was demonizing men…
I also admit for having zero patience when it comes to stuff like this so I appreciate you reminding me about the importance of understanding, open-mindedness, and empathy on BOTH sides of the discussion.
@cr – Your friend must be young if he’s never heard of these allegations when they first came out years ago.
Coming out with something like this in the past wouldn’t have gotten much press in the past because the media was the only source of our news. Also, people in show business as powerful as Cosby was with a major network behind him helps keeps scandals from going much further, especially if the network also has its own news media.
Also, keep in mind that in LA, police officers, current and ex-, have jobs as security guards on film location sets. I think that’s why the Stephen Collins case might have gotten more traction in NY than in LA.
Today, we have social media that spreads information and doesn’t require the route of going through regular news media. That’s why you hear more individual stories and why they spread more so now than they did in the past.
Your friend should realize that not all victims out come at the time of the abuse. Even now, there are still probably victims who’ve yet to come forward for whatever reason.
Remember that Natalie Wood never revealed her rapist. She was an up and comer at the time, a teenager iirc, when her famous and powerful rapist warned her that if she went to the cops, he would ruin her and her career and that nobody would believe her because of his status in the public eye.
It’s what powerful predators have done for ages. They use their status to keep their abusive actions quiet.
I think major component in their staying quiet for so long is because there was no such thing as date rape back then. Nor were were there date rape drugs per se. Its only been this last decade that we’ve collectively acknowledged and recognize date rape and rape by drugging. In the 70 s and 80 s if you didn’t fight and come out black and blue, you were at the least complicit if not consenting. Some of these women did put themselves in risky situations. Some even continued to see him and it happened more than once. That’s hard to grapple but it doesn’t make him any less a predator. I anticipate he will claim things were different and he didn’t think he was committing a crime. I’m waiting for this and my answer already is that is the thought process of an opportunist….a very evil person who will do whatever they want to whomever they want so long as they don’t get in trouble for it and when they are called into question, plea for sympathy and compaSsion. I see that coming too. He is in for a ruds awakening. Women are different now. Laws have changed and new ones have been passed. Statutes of limitation have passed but I’m guessing there are more out there and some may not have expired. Either way his career is over. Society and show biz will ostracize him. Even if we dont see justice in a courteoom, he is beiñg exposed for the horrible vile man that he is. He will die lonely.
Blimey O’Reilly. He’s your Jimmy Savile, ain’t he? If there is a silver lining, at least he’s been properly outed while he’s still alive. That’s more than we managed this side of the Pond.
Yes, at least this is happening while he is alive.
Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris. Damn, Tom Hanks, don’t ever disappoint me.
That’s really true. Not thought of that.
I cannot believe a charity that purports to support women facing violence and abuse, including sexual violence, allowed this creature a platform. He doesn’t belong on stage. He belongs in jail.
We have a recent one here in Canada too, with our big CBC creep, Jian Ghomeshi getting outed for groping and beating on women.
I was thinking those two should go on tour – Ghomeshi & Cosby. The intergenerational creep show.
He’s a serial rapist. He belongs in jail, though that’s not going to happen. I want him to know that everyone believes these women, and I hope he never works another job again. He joked about it. Bastard.
DM says that he is the greatest serial rapist who got away with it!
It’s sad he won’t be going to jail, but some justice was done – his reputation and life’s work has basically been smeared. He’s a pariah now.
I agree. If even half of what is being said is true (and I believe it is) then he absolutely should have gone to jail, but I too am glad that he’s having to face all this. He got away with it for too long.
It’s so disgusting.
This man is such a disgusting person.
He needs to look up the meaning of innuendo. I haven’t seen any innuendos being made. I’ve seen allegations!!
Yes. This is annoying the crap out of me. There is nothing oblique or insinuated in an indirect way. These women have made detailed accounts in their accusations.
yes, thank you ! you are right – no innuendos here, only allegations. And people actually applauding him and the gall he has going to speak at a woman’s charity? I just can’t …
So many sick things coming out these days – Mama June, Jian Gomeshi and now Bill Cosby …
Yes, he needs to look up the meaning of “innuendoes” and “integrity”. Watching Bill Cosby AP interview I saw the the real Bill Cosby. He tried to intimidate the reporter into scuttling the interview, just like he intimidated some of those women into silence for years. I remember about 20 years ago there was a scandal about a woman who had a daughter out of wedlock for BC and I believed he had her arrested for asking for money for her/his daughter. He never acknowledge his daughter by taking a DNA test but agreed to support her and paid for her education. BC is a master manipulator and I’m so happy these women are standing up for their dignity.
He and his attorney are using that word on purpose, as propaganda. Allegations may indeed be factual, and is teh ter used in legal proceedings. Inneuendos are something gossipy, lying skanks use to smear a good man.
Maybe I missed it,but has any of his former cast mates from the Cosby Show commented on these allegations? Their silence speaks volumes.
Lisa Bonet made a cryptic tweet about things not remaining in the dark that many are taking to have been directed as Cosby.
Oh really? Well, I’m not surprised she’d be the one.
Raven issued a statement bc there was a fake article going around saying she was a victim.
Bonet’s manager stated it was a fake account. http://www.people.com/article/lisa-bonet-denies-slamming-bill-cosby-twitter
Ther are blinds that a female cast member from the Cosby show is going to go public with her own allegations against Cosby. Most think its lisa bonet, ergo prompt departure from her spin off series. What I remember about that time was Cosby and his people painting her as wild and wayward. I’m suspecting that was a preemptive smear campaign to discredit her should she have come forward back then. Hmmmm,……….pure conjecture, but I cant help the armchair sleuth in me.
I think Raven did? Well, she said he never did anything to her (which is saying much) and she won’t talk about it. I think. Lisa Bonet would maybe be the only one to say anything critical about him but I honestly have no idea if anyone has talked to any of them. I doubt they would say much and frankly, I doubt he would’ve been THAT stupid. He was probably very good at hiding this crap on set. But I’ve wondered as well.
*which isn’t (!) saying much
Someonestolemyname: I am old enough to remember the Lisa Bonet scandal and it all came from him. He caused a stink about how one of his ‘wholesome’ kids (coz the PR for the show was that he was a genuine father-mentor to the young actors) had disappointed him by being in this sleazy film where she was naked etc. He made it seem as though she’d participated in a porno. The media kerfuffle was that Lisa was a wild child rebelling against her saintly TV dad and he was only looking out for her welfare.
When she hooked up with Lenny Kravitz, that was absolutely the end for her as far as Bill Cosby and The Cosby show were concerned. He made her seem like she’d rebelled so far that she’d gone over to the dark side.
The man raised absolute merry hell about her during this time, and it wouldn’t surprise me to find that he black listed her in Hollywood for those years.
The other TV kids absolutely toe’d the line and did wholesome things as far as their off screen lives were concerned.
What was curious was Lisa’s subsequent rehabilitation where she via her own spin off show and then return to The Cosby Show. That was done quietly and without fanfare, and none of her prior ‘rebellion’ mentioned.
There is a blind item doing the rounds about one of his female cast mates on The Cosby Show being silenced at the time about the attempts he made on her. General guess seems to be Lisa Bonnet or Phylicia Rashad.
I know people are saying this many number of women accusing him means his reputation is lost, but there are just as many people willing to give him the benefit of the doubt precisely because these women took decades to be heard. The old ‘ why didn’t they come forward sooner or why aren’t they telling the police or this is innuendo or this is a witchhunt’ pick of arguments that can be found in many comment sections across the internet on this subject.
Even Janice Dickinson, who initially told her some of her story back in 2006 to Howard Stern is being dismissed as a wack job jumping on a bandwagon.
However, as much as his former cast mates’ silence is deafening, IF any of them, particularly on the Cosby Show and especially if it’s Lisa or Phylicia, comes out in support of his victims and or a story of their own to add to the litany of abuse, he WILL be toast. Never to rehabilitate his image.
And the show is already canceled from syndication. I understand that they don’t get much on residuals, but the motivation to keep quiet may be income-related to the old show, but also they must fear the risk of being blacklisted because Cosby obviously still maintains some degree of Hollywood clout.
I think the video in this post is proof that sadly, he still has plenty of supporters.
Reading the multiple threads on LipStickAlley about this is an eye opener.
He’s so disgusting.
I liked Lisa Bonet and the kids on the show, but I don’t think I ever watched a full episode to the end. I just never got the Cosby superdad appeal, I guess.
Now I wonder if he really did have Lisa Bonet blacklisted when she tried to go into films , she made that movie with Robert Deniro and according to some of the old tabloids Cosby was said to be livid,and did a smear campaign against her so she wouldn’t go any furthet, even though she was off the show, much to his doing.
One of my daughters was on a college running team, and Cosby would attend the Penn Relays every year. The girls warned my daughter, basically, that he was a really dirty old man, and she experienced first hand his crude comments and behavior. Her 88 year old grandma was outraged, and has despised and badmouthed him ever since. I found it very sad to find the warmth and goodness he portrayed was a big act, but Grandma is gleeful he’s getting his comeuppance!
Wow. Still at his age thinking he can be crude to much younger women.
He sees women as objects, nothing more. His wife knows about all of his side activities, forced and unforced, and doesn’t care. I remember that one story where she disappears and the woman’s date disappears and she’s left alone with Bill in their house and he aggressively came at her. She realized it was a set-up. His wife is repulsive, also.
Was this recent or in the past, during the height of his nefarious activities? Not that it makes it better, just curious if he is still potentially perpetrating the same thing.
Very revealing. Thanks for posting this story.
I can’t help wondering if, or when, his very accomplished wife will leave him.
She won’t. She’s been with him for 50 years, and she knows or has some idea what’s been going on and has been his enabler to some extent or another.
Someone in one of these Cosby posts wondered if Camille was also abused by Cosby. No doubt she experienced emotional and probably physical abuse during their 50 year marriage. From all these stories coming out, he is a very mean spirited person who loves to control women. I doubt his wife got a pass from him. She just accepted it as a wife’s duty to put up with his abuse and philandering.
It must have did something to her own psych for her to decide at some point (probably decades ago) that staying for the money and perks of being married to the Cosby brand was worth being married to a rapist who in private must have caused her a lot of suffering and humiliation. She dropped out of college to marry him and gave him 5 children before deciding to return to school. During that time she knew that he had extramarital affairs.
She also left Cosby in the room alone with one of his victims and conspicuously went to bed without saying goodnight to the other woman. She knew. Maybe in Camille’s mind she thought that the woman would be willing to sleep with her husband because of his fame and fortune. Maybe that is how she accepted it because she made herself believe that all of this was somehow consensual. Camille is complicit, but somewhere underneath that smile if she is at all still human, she must feel deeply embarrassed and ashamed. But this is the path she chose a long time ago. She will not leave him.
Kibbles, you remind me to be compassionate for I am quicker to judge and blame the women who stand by these men without questioning their psyche. My initial reaction is to shame them for their perceived greed and weakness, but if they are weak and j believe they are, how and why did they come to that way because it isn’t something any of us would choose for ourselves. I continue to hold them responsible for their lack of empathy and complicitness but perhaps there is room for compassion as well? I have to ask myself who would put up with that…why? The answer- any answer is sad. If possible to incarcerate all who were enablers or complicit we could still feel sympathy for them …from the outside.
Bill is a disgusting human being.
Between his flagrant disregard for his actions and the victim blaming all over social media, I just can’t.
If folks are so quick to doubt the women now, imagine what the media/public reaction would be at the height of his popularity.
This women’s charity should be ashamed of themselves.
+1
This. People have no concept of how hard it is for women to report abuse and rape. The lack of compassion is astounding.
Disgusting human being IMO!
Lisa Bonet who played one of the older daughters in Cosby show seemed to have left a cryptic tweet about “Karma catching up” and deleted the tweet and then said it was a hoax, not her tweet!
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/11/23/lisa-bonet-cryptic-tweets-may-hint-at-bill-cosby-scandal/
Unfortunately that’s a fake account 🙁
Needless to say, we never realized HOW terrible he actually was!
Late Show staffers were required to sit in Cosby’s dressing room and watch him eat? How weird is that?
Surprised Letterman would allow that to occur, but just goes to show how far people would go to appease Bill Cosby.
not ALL of the staffers. the young, female staff and interns.
This really fries me. WTF at Letterman, who holds enough clout to stop this misogynistic behavior happening at his own show.
Not so fast–Letterman has his own lechery/affairs with a staffer(s). He’s the LAST person to cock block a fellow comic.
not that I know that much about Letterman’s affairs so I could be wrong, but weren’t his affairs at least consensual, and didn’t involve drugging women?
sexual harassment to be sure (power over subordinates) but that doesn’t rise to the allegations against Cosby.
but I see your point…one harasser abetting another.
There’s a big difference between Letterman and Cosby, Letterman didn’t drug or rape anyone.
@ Sumodo1 – Oh I totally agree. The fact that Letterman allowed this to continue speaks to me, at least, that he was okay with the harassment of these members of his staff. Letterman owns his show – the buck stops with him.
Yah, my sense on the Letterman staff is that he’s not gonna say no to weird Cosby demands, because he himself is no prize, either. (Cosby’s tour rider? Booze, drugs, access to women. no cock blocking).
Hannibal Burress (who I give props to) may have opened the can of worms but it was a woman, Barbara Bowman, who stepped forward. Burress was getting slammed or ignored (depending) until she felt emboldened by him bringing it up publicly. Once she came forward the floodgates opened but she took the initial step. Without her it may have just faded away again. So I don’t think it’s correct to say it (solely) took a man to bring this about.
Why would 20 different women of all backgrounds and beliefs come together JUST to smear the name of one man? His silence on the issue certainly speaks volumes, but to fall on this tired old excuse is ridiculous. How stupid does he think we are?
That was my stance with the whole Jian Gomeshi thing. The women were not related in any way, and weren’t suing, and weren’t putting their name out there for attention. There’s no way that they all just decided to make up a terrifyingly similar story just for shits and giggles.
The Cosby thing is sad. So sad. And even sadder that he’s such a pathetic asshat that he thinks it’s okay to joke about it. I remember growing up loving that show so much. But it was the characters and the story – it wasn’t Bill Cosby the man. And it’s a shame, because it was a pretty good family sitcom for the most part, and he basically ruined all of the fond feelings everyone had about it.
This calling him “America’s dad” reminds me a lot of a case with Australian actor Robert Hughes. He was on a show called “hey dad!” And everyone used to watch it, my family included. The young girl who played his daughter was replaced and years later, she came forward with allegations of his sexual abuse. Other young girls came forward too and the scumbag is now in prison. I dont remember, or perhaps I didn’t experience in my social circle, any doubt or discrediting of the victims.
Interesting fact, his wife works for Cate blanchett as an agent or something. Sorry I can’t quite remember
Yes, captain hero, his wife is/was one of Australia’s top talent agents. It sickened me that, every day during his trial, she’d be holding his hand as they came and went from court. The good thing is that, here in Australia, there is no statute of limitations.
Having been through the same situation with my step-father and brother-in-law, it was years (a lifetime, almost), before I was able to talk about it. This only came about because my late mum berated my sister for staying with a man who could do such things to her little sister. She neglected to mention the fact that her second husband (my dad died when I was 5) had done worse to her own daughter…
I eventually confronted the BIL, because my sister had busted him fiddling with their 4-year-old granddaughter. He’s an old man now, but his sons still allowed him access to their young girls. Then again, he is loaded…
For the record, if this were to occur to anyone else in my family, there are enough of us now to deal with the perpetrator, and I don’t mean via any useless and soul-destroying legal system.
Bill Cosby, like every other person like him, should be utterly destroyed, just like all vermin.
I wonder when will this type of media fallout happen to Terry Richardson?
It kind of has, but since he was never hailed as the epitome of righteousness, to begin with, nor enjoyed the universal level of fame, the story didn’t have legs to carry it as far or for as long as this one has. He also outright denied any wrongdoing while Cosby calls this ‘innuendo’; as a reason not to be compelled to respond.
you cant compare that. with Cosby the fallout is bigger because he was incredibly famous and well liked. most people dont have a clue who Terry Richardson is. so it will never be as big as with Cosby.
its a lot about the difference in image and actions. if you read that Charlie Sheen hit a prostitute you wouldnt be as surprised as if you’d read the same thing about Taylor Swift.
so its also not what ltos of people think, that people will a good public image all do nasty stuff, it just has more effect.
If Charlie Sheen hit Taylor Swift he probably wouldn’t live to see a trial.
@Tippy. maybe i didnt express myself clearly. not Sheen hitting her, but Taylor hitting a prostitute.
i was saying more people would be surprised and interested in that story if it was someone as squeaky clean like Taylor instead of Sheen.
Richardson works in fashion, an industry most people already consider pretty exploitative and gross all around. At least when it comes to the modeling part of it. It’s almost as if it’s to be expected. Which makes it even more disgusting because on top of everything, these girls are so young most of the time.
Family television is a whole different ballgame. Not for the women but for these … there’s not even a word. Criminals. Plus, Cosby seems to have drugged most of them which takes away the argument often used for Richardson: They could’ve said no.
This whole thing disgusts me beyond description.
What is the deal with his wife? She’s sitting there at the AP interview smiling? What ring of hell is he living in? Is she paralyzed by humiliation?
FIRST: you know that Cosby had a secret daughter and that was hushed up until SHE came forward. NOW: I believe that years ago there were Cosby divorce rumors, then their son was killed and it all died down. If anything, Camille Crosby has had EONS of experience with this, was complicit, and probably lives most of the year away from him in Europe and is trotted out on special occasions. Let’s face it: she knows his number and probably lives an astonishing millionaire’s wife way of life far away from her dirty old man.
Well, my first thought was that she’s paid to smile. She’s probably been trained to protect the brand that supports her, but really? If she filed for divorce she would still make out amazingly well.
Complicit. So sad.
If you’re referring to Autumn Jackson,she’s not Cosby’s daughter. Her biological dad came forward and said that it was a scheme to get money and that Autumn knew he was her bio dad all along.
Oh, gawd, yeah. Here’s the NYDN: “…back in 1997, when 22-year-old Autumn Jackson claimed she was Cosby’s daughter? He admitted to an affair with her mother, but it was Jackson who went to jail for extortion. (The verdict was overturned.)
There was an affair, though, and Camille stayed with him. There were divorce rumors after this kerfuffle.
He’s had “jokes” about marital rape in his standup, so that kinda tells you all you need to know about that marriage.
what the hell is the matter with the organizers of that charity event, and it’s audience?
So besides his reputation being smeared what could they do to him? Is the statues in charging him with rape (Det. Olivia Benson we need u) lol! Plus WTF with the wife? He was in the late 60sand 70s a Swingin guy. 🙁
Yay! A detective Benson reference. Any fan of SVU is a friend of mine.
Wow, he really is cold. I don’t get why, at 77 years old and a very rich man, he still insists on having a public persona. Just go away, Bill. You won, legally speaking. You can’t face charges (at least for any of the accusers who have come forward), you will probably escape civil liability for most of them, etc. You won. Just retreat from public life. Your wife, for some reason, is standing by you. You have 4 living children. Just go away and stop subjecting the public (and your victims) to your continued presence. But he won’t, because that would be asking too much.
It is past the point of innuendos! These are accusations, serious accusations! He needs to answer for himself. The fact that he has not blatantly denied these accusations says to me that he thinks he is untouchable.
To laugh about parents warning their kids he’s evil?! “We”ll never eat Jello again”. Oh my god, what a piece of sh*t. This is all awful. And now Michelle Hurd (love her since Law and Order) is coming out with her own abuse. How many are there. Ugh.
Two words: GO AWAY.
He did one of these one-man shows in my area a year or two ago. For a couple hundred dollars, attendees could also go to a meet and greet, with a photo taken. Someone I know went (they had a free ticket), and I was amazed at how he dressed for a somewhat upscale event. He had on a big sweatshirt and either light jeans or sweatpants. I’ve noticed he wears similar attire in recent event photos.
Dressing casual and being comfortable is one thing, but I would think he could do better for what are likely high dollar ticketed events. It just seems to suggest he doesn’t care, period.
It’s really unfortunate that Bill Cosby’s actions have tarnished the good name of The Cosby Show. It was one of the best shows in television history and now people won’t be able to watch it in syndication or watch the show at all without thinking of all these women Cosby has raped and harassed. How awful. The other cast members must feel awful (or perhaps vindicated if they were also abused) right now.
I believe that Cosby’s wife Camille knew about the rapes. Camille knew about his affairs and “selfish” behavior as she put it, but I think she turned a blind eye to Cosby’s raping and harassing women. She is a woman who decided long ago to stand by Cosby no matter what he did as long as he brought home the bacon. However, I read this Daily Mail article yesterday which made me conclude that Camille and some of Cosby’s friends were complicit in setting women up to be alone with him so that he could attack them: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2842678/Bill-Cosby-used-friend-court-wife-Incredible-Hulk-star-Lou-Ferrigno-set-comic-home-attacked-Camille-Cosby-left-room.html
From Camille’s behavior in the AP interview, I believe she is the type of wife who would have accepted that her husband is a rapist as long as it was done discreetly so she could try to maintain the image of a fairly normal marriage with its typical ups and downs including extramarital affairs she had forgiven.
Some people in Cosby’s inner city must have known for sure what was going on and helped him lure women as well as pay them off. One of Cosby’s fixers who helped pay off the women he raped and slept with has recently come forward: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/bill-cosby-paid-women-ex-nbc-employee-article-1.2020464
Lastly, I found this story from a female journalist to be very creepy and not at all surprising especially in light of Cosby’s behavior during his recent AP interview: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/bill-cosby-didnt-rape-me-but-what-he-did-has-always-given-me-the-creeps/
I don’t think she believes her husband is a rapist. I think she believes is unfaithful ,but not a predator or a serial rapist. Just like Bill doesn’t think he’s a rapist.
I don’t think she cares whether her husband is a rapist, any more than Cosby cares whether he is a rapist. What they both care about very much is whether he is SEEN as a rapist.
What I want to know (because I honestly don’t know how the law works) is that if all of these allegations were lies, then couldn’t he sue? I mean he’s lost a TV show because of this, as well as a Netflix special and his reruns are no longer running on syndication. So would he have a legal case for slander or something else? The fact that he’s not doing anything to save his name or his reputation speaks volumes to me. I can only assume that to try to fight the allegations would only make it more obvious that he raped these women. Clearly he’s a horrible human being and now he’s powerless to stop the public from finding out what a predator he is.
Journalism law:
Slander is the action or crime of making a FALSE spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation. As in:”He is suing the TV network for slander”
Libel is a PUBLISHED FALSE statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation; a written defamation.
The TRUTH is the the big determining factor, if it’s true, then he cannot win in court, and that is why Cosby hates the truth.
Thank you! So exactly what I was thinking. If anything these women were saying were false, he could go after them. But since they are speaking the truth, he can’t because he would help them prove what an asshole he is.
In the U.S., the burden of proof is on the person suing for libel or slander — a celebrity would have to demonstrate a preponderance of evidence that the statement was untrue, and that the person making it had reason to know it was untrue and was acting with malice. In England it’s very different: English defamation law puts the burden of proof on the accused, who must demonstrate the truth of the statement made. This was reformed somewhat in 2013, so that the person bringing suit must demonstrate that serious harm was done, and “honest opinion” has been introduced as a statutory defence. However, the old law still applies to causes of action arising before 1 January 2014, so I wonder if Cosby will be doing some libel tourism at some point.
in american law a public person can do nothing against libel or slander. thats why celebs never sue even if the papers attack ther children.
a paper can make up something and then the vicitm of that fake story has to prove its wrong. which is impossible, how do you for example prove that you dont cheat on your partner? how do you prove you dont beat up your spouse? all those things can not be proven to not have happened. thats why in front of a court the burden of proof lies on the person making the claim. otherwise people would just go around accusing people of things and the courts woulldnt be able to work because of the sheer amount of cases.
that does not got for for papers though. a paper could easily destory someo person and would never have to face consequences.
in Cosbys case it would mean he would have to prove he never raped anyone. thats as hard to prove as rape aftert such a long time itself. then he would have to prove that the women acted with actual malice, purposely lieing to damage him. how would you ever prove that?
in that regard his legal team is doing the right thing, because he can not win a lawsuit. as far as i know none of these women have reported him, meaning there wont be a trial. which would be the same as him fighting the accusation: no chance of winning.
so sitting it out is his best legal strategy. with suing them he would lose and it would look to people like a confirmation.
To be fair, the women’s charity is in the Bahamas. It’s quite possible they have not gotten or paid attention to the extent of the coverage we have here. I don’t know anything about the media in the Bahamas.
Why he wouldn’t cancel the shows on his own is beyond me.
The organizers knew more than enough to cancel his appearance. For goodness sake, it was a charity event for victims of rape and domestic violence. How ironic and sad is that? They should have canceled his appearance as soon as they heard of even one story of these allegations. The people at the event are sadly on Cosby’s side as you see from the video they are having a good ol’ time laughing about these rape allegations. It’s very unfortunate, but Cosby will always have a fan base and people will side with him because they think Cliff Huxtable/Bill Cosby (because some people think these two are one and the same) is more believable/worthy of respect than the actresses, models, and former Playboy playmates who have come forward.
Puh-LEEZE! The Bahamas ain’t BRUNEI! (These islands are off the Florida coast).
Cosby would never cancel because he’s a sociopath. That’s not how sociopaths roll.
Meh. I tried. I wanted to believe that a women’s organization would know and do better. But yeah, y’all are right.
The fact that they hired him to begin with is bad enough. That they didn’t cancel and allowed him to say what he said, well, that’s disgusting.
Yes. It IS disgusting and they will rue the day they went ahead with this. Clever of him to get these gigs as more cover for his activities.
I have always loved Bill Cosby and I will continue to do so.
aw, how cute. trolls gonna troll.
Cool story, bro.
Easy to see the truth really. Easy . Look, at his eyes, skin, hand signs that he thinks no one can interpret or see. BC has left the building. You are on your own b ..c…
This is one sick puppy. A guy of his popularity and stature in the industry definitely does not need to resort to drugging women for extra-marital sex. And yet it seems that he has a long history of doing so.
Yes, he is a criminal who would be behind bars had he not become the most bankable sitcom star of the 80s. Many (if not most) wealthy and famous men cheat on their wives. But there is a huge difference between an affair, hiring a prostitute/call girl, and drugging and raping women. Each has a level of sliminess, but what Cosby did is the lowest of the low. The public can forgive and forget an affair or even hiring a prostitute, but rape is a very serious crime. For Cosby and his wife to be able to laugh about this and even use this issue for his comedy show just proves how depraved he is. From what I’ve read of him in the last several days, he loves to be in control. That seems to apply to both his career as well as his personal relationships. He could have found plenty of women willing to sleep with him without resorting to rape. This is about control and power for him.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but still worth noting the window we have into Cosby’s sociopathic psyche. His feigned devotion to family values and wholesome entertainment is the polar opposite of who he really is. It is possible that he consciously or unconsciously disapproves of his behavior. But instead of stopping, his twisted, fractured mind holds itself together by maintaining (or trying very hard to maintain) a public image of being a wholesome guy.
A pastor at my old church did a similar thing. He was over-the-top pious (even for a pastor) and he went through a period when he often criticized divorce caused by infidelity caused during sermons. Turns out said married pastor was having an affair with a staffer.
The lesson for me in this is beware of anyone who works overtime at maintaining a certain image.
I’ve never bought into his brand of smug patriarchy. It’s very familiar to me from my 60’s, 70’s and 80’s upbringing in India…a sort of man who smugs around, lording it over the family, is the last word in upright moral rectitude, and compartmentalizes things really well.
I.e. they regard female employees, and anyone helpless (a young child) as legitimate prey, while preaching morals everywhere else, going to the church or temple, handing down family edicts, etc. In encounters with a sexual predator, there’s no explanation or talk…just action. Those women were blindsided. Their stories bear each other up. What if there was only one story? Would that be ok for Cosby to get away with? I don’t care if they are prostitutes or Playboy bunnies, or people hoping to climb the ladder in the entertainment world, consensual sex is different from molestation. And when they are young, they don’t even know that they are being molested, because they are set up well in advance. It’s called grooming, people. Certainly pre-meditated.
It takes a long time to heal, and then come out against the person who did it. Only to encounter the assholes who give standing o’s to your predator. That kind of kills you all over again. My own parents were unwilling to deal with my story of sexual abuse 12 years after it happened, and again 40 years after it happened. I had to confront my predator alone at age 47 over something that happened when I was 7! Then they came along (weakly) for the ride. I lost a part of my respect forever at that point for my parents.
Point is, that is just an illustration of an extremely common happening. Continue loving Bill Cosby, *skippy*…He doesn’t give a s**t about you, especially if you are a woman.
@dawnchild
Wow, your words are very powerful and sincere. I empathize and am very sorry for the pain that you endured. Thank you for sharing that. We will never know all the details of how this will fully unfold for bc, but it should be something to watch.
Yes, it should be interesting and educational.
This is an evil that thrives on silence and suppression. The quieter we stay, the more it flourishes. It needs to be aired for its power to wither. I think we should use these teaching moments to benefit our daughters and sons…to teach them to fight back and stand up for themselves and others.
To hopefully stand up and say, “No, Mr. C, we can’t ask our staffers to come in and watch you eat.”
I have so many feelings about this.
I’m glad his ass is being handed to him, and I hate that Camille is by his side. She’s no different than Mama June in my book. But then I think…has she experience abuse by him as well? Who knows.
I’m proud of the women who are stepping up…it’s a brave thing to do, no matter how many years later. But I also wonder after seeing multiple women sharing their stories, if they wish they would’ve come out sooner, as to not add another victim to the list.
There are so many layers to this and I hope they all get counseling and move forward.
My other thought is this: I wish there was equal outrage towards Roman, Woody, and R. Kelly.
There are people out there who flat out refuse to believe this. I have seen so much victim blaming, it’s disgusting. People are saying these women want money (who has asked for money?), that people lie about rape all the time (apparently 40% of rape claims are false according to one guy I know), and that we should not automatically assume that a woman was assaulted even if she claims to have been. Women are defending him, too, calling the accusers evil. I loved him as a kid, of course I don’t want it to be true that he is a rapist. The thing is, there is more than enough evidence to prove that he is a real sicko, so I’m not going to stick my head in the sand and refuse to believe it’s true. I remember when the allegations first came out and I was disappointed. The more I read, the more I realized that “Bill Cosby” is a persona and that the real man was not a lovable father figure.
This whole thing makes me incredibly sad. Bill Cosby has been part of my “entertainment world” my entire life…starting with the Fat Albert cartoons when I was a kid, the Cosby Show, Jello commercials, his books, concerts, etc… For most Americans, he epitomized the “Great American Dad.”
And now this. I am not sure that ALL of these women are telling the truth (these sort of things have a tendency to cause a lot of crazies to come out of the woodwork and pile on), but clearly there is truth to it and a pattern and well….. I feel angry and let down and duped.
It just goes to show – you really don’t know someone. You never know what lurks in the hearts and minds of even the happiest, most well-adjusted people. And it’s not just criminal behavior like this, but even things like Robin Williams’ suicide.
It’s all just so sad.
Yes. It is sad. For his victims.
Is it just me or does the “Hello friend” sweatshirt creep you out?
yeah, that one and the Smith College one I saw him in on another site.
if he stepped one foot on the campus right now I think he’d get his ass kicked faster than he could say “J-E-L-L-O”
“including how Cosby would request that talkshow staff to come into his dressing room and watch him eat.”
If this is true, and I know it’s unrealistic to expect money-hungry employers do right by their employees, but GODD!AMN. No employer has the right to subject employees to humiliation because: VIP. When will the world wake up?
F*ck this joker.
I was reading the comments on an article about this (why do I continue to do that? it only makes me furious!) and a lot of the men were saying that all women in the entertainment industry sleep their way to the top. How is it possible that such misogyny reigns in this day and age?
Sexual molestation and rape is not about sex, it’s about power and violence. At one time Cosby had as much power as anyone in the industry. Too bad he didn’t use it to benefit people instead of harming them.
The time lapse does not shock me. My son was sexually molested at age 10 and was past 30 before he told me about it. The victims feel guilt and shame and they want to hide the situation as much as possible.
I believe the women.
from NY daily news article:
“He’d include as a request, before he arrived, that the young girls, interns and assistants, all had to gather around in the green room backstage and sit down and watch him eat curry,” our stunned source explains. “No one would say anything, and he would sit silently eating and make us watch and want us to watch.”
They met this request? How on earth did no one complain or say, why do you only want female staffers to do this? that sounds creepy. Do you think our female employees have nothing better to do than watch you? You think we just hire women but have no work for them to do? One person has the job of escorting the talent from their green room to the stage, not all our female employees. This guy has clear issues with women-remember when he shamed Lisa Bonet for posing nude in a magazine and being in a love scene in a film-what a hypocrite. Clearly a woman being sexual isn’t the issue with cosby-it’s that a woman made that decision on her own, instead of being drugged and harassed by a man like him to do it
Amen, Meg. Amen.
I didn’t really care all that much for the Cosby show. I found him annoyingly smug back then, to be honest, something about him didn’t sit right with me. These women are incredibly brave, and I hope they are able to come out of this with their heads held high and that they don’t let the detractors take even more away from them. Imagine how many more are out there.