The Bill Cosby story only grows more horrific as time passes. I’ve reached the point where I feel heebie jeebies every time I see a cutesy, “fatherly” photo of him from decades past. He was a regular staple on Sesame Street. He played an OB/GYN on television. It’s all so disturbing. The floodgates are truly open on this guy, which is amazing because these stories have circulated for so many years. It took commentary from a male comedian for people to start taking these allegations seriously. Hannibal Burress didn’t even think anyone was listening to him, but here we are.
Vulture has been keeping a well-maintained timeline of events surrounding the Cosby allegations. More women are coming forward with claims of sexual assault. Many of the stories are very similar to each other. Most of the accounts involve being drugged. There’s a new story that stands out from all the others. Judy Huth has sued Cosby for allegedly drugging and assaulting her at the Playboy Mansion … when she was 15 years old:
Bill Cosby was sued Tuesday by a Southern California woman who claims the comedian molested her in a bedroom of the Playboy Mansion around 1974 when she was 15 years old.
Judy Huth’s sexual battery lawsuit does not specify how much she is seeking from Cosby, who has in recent weeks faced renewed accusations that he drugged and sexually assaulted more than a dozen women for many years.
Huth’s lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, however, is the first time a woman has gone public claiming Cosby abused her when she was underage. A second woman told Pittsburgh television station KDKA last month that Cosby drugged her to the point of unconsciousness in the 1980s when she was 15.
Huth’s lawsuit states that she and a 16-year-old friend first met Cosby at a Los Angeles-area film shoot and the comedian gave the girls drinks a week later at a tennis club.
The lawsuit states that Cosby took them to the Playboy Mansion after several drinks, and told the teenagers to lie and say they were 19 years old if asked. Her lawsuit states Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him with her hand.
An email message sent to Cosby’s attorney Martin Singer was not immediately returned. Singer has denied previous accusations or said the women raising the claims in interviews had been discredited.
Huth claims she suffered severe emotional distress and that she discovered its effect on her within the past three years, which allows her to file the lawsuit under California law.
“This traumatic incident, at such a tender age, has caused psychological damage and mental anguish for (Huth) that has caused significant problems throughout her life,” the lawsuit states.
[From Associated Press]
This case is notable because Cosby’s been very good at settling his alleged victims’ claims before he gets sued. He’s also never been dragged into criminal court. I doubt he’d ever be charged with rape because of statutes of limitation issues, but you never know. We don’t know how long the alleged behavior has continued on Cosby’s part. Some related news:
* Janice Dickinson elaborated on her claim with a video interview with further assault details. All she wants from Cosby is this: “I would like Cosby to come out and at least acknowledge that he is a pig, that he is a monster and that he raped me.”
* Cosby resigned from Temple University’s board of trustees after 32 years of service. He was considered “the school’s public face, appearing in advertisements, fundraising campaigns and delivering commencement speeches,” which makes me wonder why Temple didn’t dump him. Years ago.
* A newly unearthed clip from 1969 (from Cosby’s It’s True! It’s True! album) features him joking about drugging women. Gross.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
Cue the Cosby-defenders: “Well what was she doing at the Playboy Mansion at age 15? Where were her parents? Why did she lie about her age?” etc.
This man is repulsive, period, and he deserves to lose everything.
Agree with u – he’s a monster
He had everything. What a sick proclivity to toss it all away with.
That’s exactly what my mother inlaw started on. She’s a Cosby defender. Start blaming the victim. Because even if it was rape there’s still buckets of fault on the girl and that lessens or negates Cosby’s part in this. Ugh.
I agree that he is a monster and this is horrific. I hope that his career is totally ruined and that he loses these lawsuits and is publicly humiliated for the DB that he is. That being said….. I do think it is fair to ask WTH a 15 year old was doing at the Playboy mansion. No means no and rape is never OK. But can we at least say that women have to be smarter about protecting ourselves? We talk about defensive driving – assuming that the other guy is going to do something stupid on the road – but can’t ever talk about “defensive partying” or whatever?
Well, I think we do talk about defensive partying, not leaving a friend behind, etc. all the time. In this situation, Cosby was the adult. He took them to the mansion, and other adults there let them in. I don’t think you can really expect to have a 15-year-old be smart about saying no to a celebrity taking them to a famous party. I mean, I was totally naive at that age, and something like that would be equally terrifying and exciting.
Full disclosure/confession: my friends and I *were* that 15yr old who *would* lie about our age/ dress older than our age so that I could get into all the adult parties and clubs. And if an adult came along and offered to escort me/us into such clubs, i’d/we’d have thought it idiotic to refuse – such is the naivety and idiocy of 15yr olds. Don’t know who we thought were fooling, but it never occurred to us that we could be in danger.
It’s a right of passage since nearly all teens go through that stage of wanting to be treated as adults, doing adult things, lying about their ages to strangers and even partying in places they shouldn’t without a care to their personal safety.
What’s naive is pretending or thinking it doesn’t happen.
Furthermore, this is Hollywood in the 60s and 70s were it was ok for teens/pre-teens to party with adults without censure – see Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, Angelica Huston, Tatum ONeal, Melanie Griffiths, Ryan ONeal etc biographies.
I work with quite a few Cosby-defenders. The experience has been an eye-opening opportunity for me to make some decisions about who I wiil no longer spend time chatting with at work.
Probably won’t find them here…now Gawker, OTOH, has one particularly persistent cockroach who visits every article, and *tries* to play devil’s advocate. I seriously cannot comprehend defenders, but I suppose they aren’t that different from the errant Ray Rice supporters who even pop in here. An undercurrent of misogyny seems to be the uniting theme among them.
He might be repulsive but where were her parents and what 15 year old goes to the Playboy mansion.? It appears some of these victims aren’t so innocent afterall .Blame the parents for not protecting their kid, Why is she just coming out with it 30 years later.?
At 15 you’re incredibly naive & you don’t think anything bad is going to happen to you. Faulting her for going to a party or questioning why she went to a party at the Playboy mansion is blaming her. It needs to stop. Why is it that women have to change their behavior & not men?
If you think parents are with 15 YOs 24/7, you are naive, entirely unrealistic or a helicopter parent. If a celebrity with a fun harmless reputation pays attention to adoring YOUNG fans, they are going to feel special, for one, and two, somewhat safe with the false facade of said celebrity’s public persona. You are talking about 15 year olds. They probably thought it was cool to be invited to a happening place with famous people.
It takes people a while to deal with issues of rape and the onslaught may have finally given them courage to do so. Do you think every rape victim deals with trauma immediately, or would feel safe at 15 going up against a very powerful and popular man?
How about NOT inviting 15 year olds to go to the Mansion as an adult man?
Betty, going to a club does NOT equal consent!!!!!
Going to a club doesn’t mean that someone is no longer “innocent”! Going to a location does not give consent to anything other than going to a location. There is no implied consent law in regards to rape.
Why in the world are you not asking why Cosby would bring children to the Playboy Mansion? You gloss over the fact that the girls wouldn’t have been able to get in there without Cosby.
The blame for this is 100% solely on him. I am tired of women being accused of participating in their own victimization simply because of where they were, what they wore, etc.
Kiddo
Exactly! Cosby was a very well respected and trusted man. No one would assume he could do the things we’re learning now. He’d be the last person expected.
And when I was their age about 15 years ago I was allowed to travel abroad. I had footholds everywhere I went and had to check in, but i’m digressing.
There was no reason to fear the company of Cosby. And I doubt he talked to the parents and said he was taking them to the PB Mansion.
I don’t condone his actions at all, thank you. But I STILL wondered what a little girl was doing there. It did make me wonder where her parents were. I can wonder about those things and still think he’s terrible. The two sentiments don’t have to go together.
I have to add that I don’t mean to blame the girl in any way. I guess it really is wishful thinking to hope that parents can keep track of their teens. It’s a lot harder than it sounds. 🙁 but I won’t say that the very idea of a 15 year old at that place doesn’t fill me with sadness. No little girl should be exposed to that environment. Hell, I feel bad for the grown women who willfully choose to be there. We’re so much better than what some men expect out of us.
Once is an event. Twice is coincidence. Thrice is a pattern. More than that is hell.
Temple didn’t dump him because he’s probably given them a ton of money over the years.
There was also an item about Cosby in the NY Daily news. Same Cosby M.O. only this woman escaped. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/confidential/model-ties-risky-day-bill-cosby-agency-leak-article-1.2029365
Right. It all comes down to dollars. Just like Rice. Once that backlash became too great and threatened income he was punished.
Exactly. That board membership came as a result of years of gifting Temple, no doubt.
Wow, FingerBinger–that Post article is interesting. What a (relatively) lucky girl.
Not enough bad things can happen to this serial rapist.
seeing Elmo reminded me, wasn’t there a similar allegation leveled to the person who was the voice of Elmo? whatever happened to that one? true, untrue, hushed up?
Yes. The guy was charged with raping multiple boys (teens) (he’s a hebaphile). The NY Court Judge dismissed charges based on the statute of limitations and the Court of Appeals upheld the decision. The victims waited too long. The perp is walking free.
The guy who voiced Elmo tried to hush it up. Another accuser came forward and he was fired. Elmo is voiced by one of the backup people now I think
@JenniferJustice, @Idsmith, thanks for the update.
that’s horrible! statute of limitation?
will this apply to the Cosby case? i can see him and his team drawing out the process or postponing the cases to take advantage of this then.
that’s just heartbreaking.
Some commentators on other sites especially ‘urban blogs’ are saying that he has pissed off the ‘Powers That Be’ and they are turning his life upside down,that these powerful people control the media and can make anything happen. Something also to do with him wanting to purchase NBC? years back,they don’t want to see a rich powerful black man. They said there is no real proof and they are trying to destroy his legacy. Please people these are just some of the things i have been reading.
That was quite the delay in response of him “pissing off the powers that be”. They must have an enormous network of unconnected people somehow too.
I wholeheartedly believe this claim. However, I also believe then that the “Powers that Be” hugely stand accountable for letting these crimes go on unhindered and further, are detestable for their roles in covering up same. The rabbit hole is deep. There are many, many “celebrities” out there who are groomed to believe they can do whatever they want and the “powers” will clean up their messes for them, but always for a price.
No the assertion in the OP’s comment was that the accusations were entirely made up to bring him down since he was too powerful. Not that they weren’t willing to clean up a mess. They think there was no mess and it was only a conspiracy to destroy him because he is black, powerful and rich.
@IrishSerra
Exactly. I know it’s easy to hop on commenters, especially on sites like Media Takeout, and mock how crazy they sound but I have to say they’re not entirely wrong. There’s a lot that gets covered up and swept under the rug and not exposed till someone is no longer profitable. There’s also a lot exposed and known that’s ignored – Hollywood is rife with that nonsense.
What Kiddo said.
“They said there is no real proof and they are trying to destroy his legacy.”
This sums up the OP’s point I think.
Some people will always believe this.
To be fair…there has been a history in this country of successful blacks being targeted and punished to soothe the majority (whites). Look up ‘Black Wall Street’. I fully believe those people are wrong about their opinions but I NEVER like to pretend that people are suspicious in a vacuum. They are suspicious for a REASON even if they are wrong.
I also think there’s a fear that blacks or other minorities are dragged down for crimes their white counterparts aren’t (Buzzfeed did an article on this a few days ago asking why Bill Cosby has been punished but Terri Richardson still gets work and celebrated) and YES there is also a history of some white individuals who commit truly horrific crimes still being celebrated at large by the majority (Woody Allen is an easy example but hardly the only one in Hollywood).
All that being said I don’t believe what’s happening with Cosby is race-based. I truly believe he had a good run and now all his bullsht is coming home to roost. As recently as November he was in talks with NBC to produce and star in a show, and as far as I can see he was untouchable for quite a while.
Interesting comments but you contradict yourself a bit. Below you ask why everyone largely ignored and pussyfooted around Cosby and here you say that famous white men who commit horrendous crimes are celebrated but black men in power are taken down.
While I don’t disagree with that part of your statement, I don’t see how Cosby is an example of that, since he was allowed to maintain a successful career, image intact, for thirty-some odd years, amidst rumors of sexual assault and rape, which as you said, most of us didn’t even know about (I sure didn’t).
My personal opinion is that money buys power and influence, and having a d*ck sure as hell helps. Cosby is a powerful, rich black man who made a lot of people a lot of money. Woody Allen is a powerful, rich white dude who makes a lot of people a lot of money. They are “allowed” to continue their careers, without repercussion, because of that very reason.
As far as how they are perceived by the public, plenty of people cannot stomach Allen, and plenty of people still support Cosby and believe he is victim of a conspiracy.
It’s also possible that as a white chick, I’m not seeing the double-standard, but I believe that Hollywood has its own set of rules that seems to favor men in general.
I think another issue is that Cosby was so beloved by so many, he was in our homes—we bought into his television image. I think the reaction is mostly disgust and disappointment. We look at ourselves and feel stupid for being conned.
Woody Allen never presented himself as your Dear Old Dad or a family man, and personally, I always found his onscreen persona grating as hell, so him being revealed as a predator just doesn’t feel as personal, KWIM?
Well if it were true, it has been a slow burn, because this story was covered before Buress brought it back up:
http://gawker.com/who-wants-to-remember-bill-cosbys-multiple-sex-assaul-1515923178
2005:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/bill-cosbys-prior-bad-acts
2006
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20059561,00.html
I’m pretty sure Gawker covered it in the past as well. I’m not saying political mudslinging doesn’t happen in order to destroy people, but why now? Cosby’s clout and cachet is on the decline, why not hit him earlier with the watershed moment of collective victims?
More likely, in THIS specific case, there is a lot of denial and cognitive dissonance because of the way (as you said) Cosby worked on his public reputation and because he was such a hero in the community with cross-over appeal. There’s no disappointment like a colossal disappointment which makes you revisit what you stood for through someone else.
* Just realized I said some of the same of what kitten did, and too lazy to edit.
@Kitten
? Did you read my entire comment? I said I don’t believe what’s happening to Cosby is because of his race right at the end. That he simply had so many incidents and crimes and that they were going to catch up to him eventually and simply did.
I also said ‘some’ whites because clearly some are punished and some are still considered valuable to society.
I’m not really seeing the conflict..
Sorry Amy I think I focused on this part:
“I also think there’s a fear that blacks or other minorities are dragged down for crimes their white counterparts aren’t (Buzzfeed did an article on this a few days ago asking why Bill Cosby has been punished but Terri Richardson still gets work and celebrated) and YES there is also a history of some white individuals who commit truly horrific crimes still being celebrated at large by the majority (Woody Allen is an easy example but hardly the only one in Hollywood).”
I’m having reading comprehension issues today (ask Kiddo) so this is not surprising.
“There’s no disappointment like a colossal disappointment which makes you revisit what you stood for through someone else.”
@ Kiddo–This completely. I think people personalize it because it because they feel it reflects upon them–it embarrasses them to feel like they were duped.
All those links you provided—Crazy. I honestly never knew.
@Kiddo
To perhaps clarify some part of my argument that wasn’t more clear.
1. I believe Cosby committed the rapes.
2. I believe he is now being punished not because of his race but because of the sheer number of his victims and a collapsing dam effect.
3. While these articles do exist they were done by smaller media. If you’re not on Gawker then sadly you wouldn’t have read such articles. Those articles as far as I can remember also weren’t picked up by more popular media with more exposure.
4. What I was saying however is I wouldn’t label the people on those sites as being crazy because their fears, though unfounded, DO come from a legitimate source.
5. That we can mutually mention the targeting of successful blacks without excusing those who commit genuine crimes and deserve punishment.
I believe something was misconstrued somewhere…
Amy, No, I get that you weren’t advocating the same exact opinion, but rather were understanding of the perspective coming from a place where things like that can happen, and I do agree with you about possibilities in general. I guess my comment was kind of answering to that opinion of conspiracy specifically, but not necessarily to you, if that makes sense? I don’t think the people are crazy at all. But I think the opinion is more reflexive based on bad history (in general), and grave disappointment, rather than current and past circumstantial evidence which surround THIS case.
ETA: I think I’m getting a cold because my head feels like it is in a block, sorry if I make zero sense.
@Kitten and Kiddo
Ah I see now. Yes, I was merely speaking on the perspective of where those people’s opinions come from even though I don’t agree with them.
Bill Cosby is being brought down by Bill Cosby, not the powers-that-be. As Kitten said that mostly comes down to money and who is still profitable, same with Ray Rice. If he finds a new team to support him it will be because he is still profitable, even amidst his abusive nature.
Marion Barry was reelected as the major of Washington D.C . even after video was released of him “gettin down” with a hooker and crack in a hotel room.
This article has an interesting take on Cosby’s iconic status and how race factors into suppressing the rape allegations:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120338/bill-cosby-rape-allegations-why-america-took-so-long-wake
The attempt to purchase NBC came after they canceled Malcolm Jamal Warner’s spinoff.
This article is concise in chronologically listing his offenses/acts of wielding power from 1965 to present:
http://www.tvguide.com/news/bill-cosby-rape-allegations-timeline-1089629.aspx
And it is quite horrible.
Wow. Horrible.
If you know anything about the “powers that be” know this, they don’t need anyone else(victims/witnesses etc) to take someone out. They go in, make it look like an accident/heart attack and leave, period. Example, Dr. David Kelly-it might have happened a long time ago but the point was made.
What is happening here is a man whose past has come knocking.
lol reminds me of 30 rock when tracy had to go on the run from the “black crusaders”
the “black crusaders” included bill cosby
well played tracy
I read on Superficial that 30 Rock also had a bit where Tracy Morgan got on the phone with a person who he thought was Bill Cosby (but it was an impersonator). Tracy’s character questioned the Cosby character about his aunt. From Superficial:
“Tracy: Bill Cosby, you got a lotta nerve gettin’ on the phone wit’ me after what you did to my Aunt Paulette!
Rick (Cosby impersonator): I think you’re confusing me with someone else.
Tracy Jordan: 1971. Cincinnati. She was a cocktail waitress with the droopy eye!
Rick: I’m the guy… with the pudding…
Tracy Jordan: Don’t try to tell me what to do! Heathcliffe Huxtable, wit’ yo’ light-ass kids! Jack! Why would you make me talk to this man?
+ 10 gryffindor
30 rock really has all the answers
The sad reality is that he has be settling with his victims for years and it has not even made a dent in his pocketbook. This man is uber wealthy and can continue with this crap and know at the end of the day a check can keep these women quiet. This whole situation just makes my blood boil. You just get tired of reading and hearing about women just being degraded is some capacity on a daily basis.
He’s a crafty SOB and I kind of believe was always expecting to be caught. I read that when he was working with NBC on the idea for this new sitcom he stipulated he be paid in cash and that if NBC decided not to go ahead with the show (which low and behold once the sht started to really hit the fan…) they were to pay him a very expensive penalty.
That sounds like a man expecting things to go south at any moment and ready for it.
This seems to be a theme for ‘genius’ level talent. The greater the performer, the more horrifying the skeletons in massive, walk-in closets.
That audio clip finally confirms it for me. I believe every single one of those women now. That he could joke about drugging women just shows him in his true colours.
I’m less convinced just by the Spanish Fly routine. I think it was something people joked about more back then. It just seems creepy in retrospect because of things we know now. And yes, I do believe Cosby is guilty, as much as I wish he weren’t.
I will say this about Cosby –
That man WORKED for his image. Sometimes I’ve noticed someone will get a job and somehow become that character. It doesn’t mean they are but that the world at large now puts that personality on them (7th Heaven Dad is an example). Bill Cosby WORKED for his image.
He WORKED to be seen as classy, paternal, and intelligent. Much of what’s been exposed about his personal life doesn’t match up (failed 10th grade, never completed school, has an incredible temper) and it’s interesting how much effort he put into crafting this whole brand name and image that hits you when you just say the name ‘Cosby’. Cosby-Sweater is a description that’s even still used today for Christ’s sake. Even the way he dresses, never a suit, always something soft and a bit silly like that ‘Hello Friend’ sweatshirt.
I fall into a weird demographic with Cosby. I’m old enough to remember watching his show, but apparently was too young to remember ANY details of the show. I fully believe he raped those women but I find it interesting to see articles entitled, “What We All Ignored About Cosby”. I didn’t ignore anything. I didn’t KNOW anything and in spite of all the lawsuits and such can’t recall ever hearing accusations leveled against him. Why did it take so many years for this to come to this level of exposure? I don’t mean the women. I mean why were reporters and interviewers always pussy-footing around this man like he was a king? They COULD have exposed him years ago but even as late as this year February they were exchanging interviews and ‘scuffling’ questions about past allegations.
Sometimes I just get so sick of journalists. At any point in 30 years someone could have compiled all the information and published it in one big swoop and no one ever did – for no reason as far as I can see since tragedy and horror are still big money-makers.
Excellent commentary.
Very well surmised
He did work for that image. Didn’t he also have a “crazy things little kids say” tv show? And the pudding pop commercials? He definitely crafted a family friendly image for himself.
They didn’t mention the new male witness who came forward (article on CNN) that he went to Cosby’s home to pick up a female friend who called him upset and panicked and begged him to come get her. When he got there, she was drugged, foggy and couldn’t snap out of it. Finally! A third-party witness who’s credibility isn’t in question and who has no ulterior motives but just seeks to support his female friend. Can’t wait to hear/read what the Cosby defenders have to say about him.
I Feel the need to clarify what I wrote. I do not question the credibility of any of the accusers and they haven’t asked for anything, so I don’t beleive any of them have ulterior motives, but others think they’re full of it and that’s what I was addressing.
It is great to hear there is a 3rd party witness. I understood what you were saying in the 1st comment, and I agree. The 3rd party will help shield the women from even more personal attacks on their credibility.
Only 15 years old!! That’s approaching pedophilia! Alleged sexual predators like Bill Cosby and accused pedophiles like Sylvain Kustyan, Jerry Sandusky, etc. must be apprehended before they have decades to prey upon our women and children. Sandusky is behind bars. Cosby has been disgraced. But unfortunately, Sylvain Kustyan, who has been formally charged with two counts each of 1st Degree Sodomy of a ten-year-old little boy, fled to avoid imminent arrest. Kustyan, formerly of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Hermin/ Mazingarbe, France, is now a fugitive from the law. Victims of Child Sexual Abuse often suffer lifelong physical problems as well as the psychological and emotional trauma from their horrifying experiences. Male victims have 3x’s the heart attack risk and 10x’s the suicide rate. Since the average pedophile has 300 different victims in their lifetime and since the recidivism rate among pedophiles is virtually 100% they must be stopped ASAP!
Excellent comment!
“Since the average pedophile has 300 different victims in their lifetime ”
That hit me really hard. Wow, that is terrible!
It doesn’t get much worse than child molestation.
These sexual assault allegations span almost fifty years, yet his career flourished. It’s only now that the “powers that be” develop a conscience.
I do understand what some of our posters are saying here about white entertainers getting away with things. But what I see here is a true predator. And a true predator has no race, no gender, no creed. They are monsters who look like ordinary people, and that is their greatest danger. I was hurt as a child by a (female) white neighbor, the mom of one of my friends. So when I see a molester, I just see an evil thing. I don’t care about color or gender-I want justice for anyone who has ever been hurt by one of these monsters.
I am very surprised there are no recent cases. He is a serial rapist. Whatever drove his compulsion to assault these many women is not likely to have cured itself.
A lowering of testosterone in old age, plus lack of access, perhaps?
@ Tammy I blamed the parents, they are suppose to know and keep tabs on their minor children and know where they are going and doing at all times. Stop trying to make 15 years olds innocent some are well schooled and know what happening. having babies doing drugs and trying to be grown up. Some 15 years olds are gullible and some aren’t .Some women are taken advamtage of through no fault of their own and some know what they are doing. Then they cry wolf when someting happens. When you PUT youself in harms way expect the worse.
YES, Betty if they were raped IT’S THEIR FAULT. Same thing if they had been murdered. In fact NO women and children should ever leave home there might be danger.
Well, you need to remember it was 1974! Cell phones weren’t around, and it was much easier to get around your parents being able to locate you readily. I would’ve told my parents that I was staying at my friend’s house, then met up with him, been a “grown-up” with the drinking, been flattered that a star was interested in me, acquisced to going to the titillating (no pun intended) Playboy Mansion where grown-ups/stars/beautiful people would be.
ETA: this was in response to a poster above who seemed to be blaming the parents for not knowing where their 15-year old daughter was.
This. When I think of some of the things I did when I was younger, I thank God I didn’t end up in a ditch somewhere. NOT blaming the victim at all! Teens really aren’t equipped to evaluate risks properly. It just makes it worse that a trusted fatherly figure (even one we only knew from television) would take advantage of that fact.
If he isn’t your father why would you trust him. They only knew his TV persona. There must be a lot of gullible woman in this world,
Betty, you are so focused on attacking the character of the VICTIMS and not attacking the character of the person who assaulted dozens of women. I find it chilling.
“Betty” has been trolling the entire comment section with her idiotic defence of Cosby. Try to ignore her semi-literate ramblings.
I don’t know if it is true or not, but I do wonder that not one of these women went after him criminally before the statute of limitations expires. I can understand a few, but it just seems to me that at least one woman especially in the 80’s or 90’s who would have done something. I hope someone goes to court though so at least we can have a real system for judging his innocence or guilt and not just blogs and gossip.
I also wonder why it was okay to blame Janay Rice and say she is a gold digger among other things, when we even have a video of her abuse, but these women who waited many years for most to voice their abuse we can’t even question? As far as the 15 year old at the Playboy mansion, maybe instead of the parents or her we should also look at Hefner? That is beyond creepy to me.
I just hope this plays out in a more legal manner, because I can see how some would say it looks like a witch hunt.
YesNoWay: In 2005, Constand filed a civil suit against Cosby, and her lawyer promised depositions from 13 women who reportedly had stories similar to Constand’s. The case was settled out of court before those women testified.
Some of those women went public with their accusations. Former Denver model Beth Ferrier, who had an affair with Cosby in the mid-1980s, alleged in an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News that Cosby had drugged her. A year later, Ferrier and another former model, Barbara Bowman, were featured in a People magazine story about the claims against Cosby. Neither stood to gain from Constand’s case, as the statute of limitations on both of their alleged assaults had ended.
Cosby settled out of court. It has been partially played out in a legal manner and one of the accusers is an attorney.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/bill-cosby-was-accused-of-rape-eight-years-ago-why-is-the-story-is-going-viral-now/2014/11/16/33d57d00-6dd0-11e4-8808-afaa1e3a33ef_story.html
@ Tammy I blamed the parents, they are suppose to know and keep tabs on their minor children and know where they are going and doing at all times. Stop trying to make 15 years olds innocent some are well schooled and know what happening. having babies doing drugs and trying to be grown up. Some 15 years olds are gullible and some aren’t .Some women are taken advantage of through no fault of their own and some know what they are doing. Then they cry wolf when something happens. When you PUT yourself in harms way expect the worse.
This makes no sense-how is being with ap owerful celebrity with a nurturing, fatherly image considered a bad choice? By all accounts, cosby promised women lucrative connections or wanted to mentor them. Sure, we could all say in hindsight that we shouldn’t trust his motives, but most people do not walk through life distrustful of every experience they have.
Also, he is an alleged predator. Do people understand how a predator works? They are VERY skillful, grooming victims, choosing those who can be discredited, or setting up an image that allows them to be discredited as a later date, befriending others, helping others via an established persona, while this alter ego acts very differently behind closed doors. This is what predators do; anyone who has found their community duped by a pedophile, for example, reels from the shock. Noone can believe they were fooled. And those who weren’t like to judge from afar-that others are stupid or irresponsible, etc etc. In reality, regardless of how intuitive or intelligence one is, these predators are extremely skilled actors and manipulators.
Until you have been on the receiving end of this kind of deceit [not just as a physical victim, but someone within a community devastated by it], it can seem hard to fathom(the idea of not knowing, or being fooled by it).
I would not allow my underage daughter to be in the company of any adult male going anywhere unless there was a chaperone and it likely would be me. At 15 her parents would make the decisions about her career not her. She was no innocent 15 year old. She heard the stories about the wild parties at the Playboy mansion she was not naive nor gullible but wanted to be a part of it. The fact she is suing now after keeping quiet all these years shows it is all about money. There are a lot of starry eyed teens but she was not one of them,she knew what she was doing. He had 4 young black girls on his show that respected him but no word has come from any of them that they were accosted. A pedophile does not pick or choose victims they all are included.
Betty, your comment about girls putting themselves in harms way is so limited in scope. When you follow that logic, that leads to women being shut away at home their entire lives because ANYWHERE can be harms way.
I know girls that were raped on their college campuses by strangers, dragged into alleys while walking down the street in daylight, raped by boyfriends they trusted for years, raped and abused at their churches. Some women are abused at home. Truly, there is no place on this earth that is truly safe from sexual predators.
What you are doing is putting all of the responsibility on the victim and none of it on the criminal.
This guy was a big deal during my growing up years. He was a Saturday morning staple in the 1970s with his Fat Albert show. The 1980s brought the massive appeal of the Cosby show. In the 1990s, he received sympathy for the roadside murder of his son.
He wasn’t all that to me personally (I thought he seemed smug, especially in the Cosby Show era). However, a lot of people bought that image. He played the father figure to the hilt. A teenager during the 1970s-80s could have easily viewed him as a harmless, paternal figure and trusted him.
It looks like he’ll be doling out settlements from now on.
Wondering if/when Lisa Bonet is going to come forward. Because I think there’s definitely something there. She’s made veiled references to his douchebaggery and over the years has refused consistently to participate in events or projects that involve him….
Because what you know and what you hear is different. Rumors and facts are not the same.
Well, there’s gotta be a reason she can’t stand him. In light of all these accusers coming forward, her obvious intense distaste for the man speaks volumes.
I’m not a religious person, but some how Hannibel Buress became the vehicle for God to shed light on this terrible man and his secret past.
Why was this 15 year old at Playboy mansion? She was there because Cosby brought her there, and he did so with intent. What more do you need to know?
Where were her parents? Good question, but it skirts the reality– this is what pedophiles do: They pick their victims, they groom their victims, they look for victims who are unlikely to have strong adult figures to turn to. A neglected teenager is especially vulnerable.
None of this lets Cosby off the hook. He knew exactly what he was doing. He is solely responsible for his criminal actions.
Is there any hope of sending this creep to jail? That’s what I want to know.
You are the one skirting the problem. because you fail to see that she had a choice, You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink and that goes for toddler, if they don’t want it they spit it out. She was well beyond the age of reasoning.
Betty, why do you seem to be asserting that men have no control over themselves? That if they see an attractive woman, it is her responsibility to shield herself from their advances and that it is not a man’s responsibility to refrain from committing a CRIME?
can someone ban this “betty” person? blaming a 15 year old??? these comments make me sick.
I can’t help it, I have been falling for her trolling!
Seriously. She is probably the worst rape apologists I’ve ever seen in this forum.
Glad you intelligent ladies are here to set her trolling ass straight 😉
Agree. Very weird in that the serial rapist we are discussing was FULLY aware of her age, and had knowingly committed a CRIME. He knew she was a gr9 student. Ug. Peace to her.
Banned. Please report trolling comments instead of responding to them. We can’t delete them when there are so many responses.
You are absolutely right CB, but sometimes it’s good to have an exchange with a troll because it helps put the situation in black and white terms and helps people who are probably grey area, benefit of the doubt type people to see the stack contrast of what they may inadvertently be defending.
Let’s all hope Betty isn’t on the defending council of any rape trial.