 |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page Bill Cosby contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
|
| “ | I have eight years and nine months left. When I come up for parole, they're going to hear me say that I have no remorse. | „ |
| ~ Cosby in an interview in 2019. |
Bill Cosby (born July 12th, 1937) is an American former stand-up comedian, actor, musician and author who is considered to be one of the most recognizable and influential comedians of all-time. Beginning in the 1980s, Cosby produced and starred in the television sitcom The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992 and was rated as the number one show in America from 1985 through 1989. The sitcom highlighted the experiences and growth of an affluent African-American family. Cosby produced the spin-off sitcom A Different World, which aired from 1987 to 1993. He also starred in The Cosby Mysteries from 1994 to 1995 and in the sitcom Cosby from 1996 to 2000 and hosted Kids Say the Darndest Things from 1998 to 2000. He also created the children's cartoons Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and Little Bill and was a starring cast member on the PBS show The Electric Company from 1971 to 1973.
Cosby's reputation was tarnished during the mid-2010s when numerous women made sexual assault accusations against him, the earliest dating back to 1965. In totally 60 women have accused him of either attempted sexual assault, rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, or sexual misconduct, all of which he has denied, and the statute of limitations had by the mid-2010s expired in nearly all cases.
Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault and sentenced to three to ten years in prison in September 2018. He was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution – Phoenix in Pennsylvania. On June 30, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the charges against him due to an agreement with a prosecutor and he was released from prison.
Sexual assault allegations
He has been subjected to highly publicized sexual assault allegations ranging from 1965 to 2014. Bill Cosby rape in totally 60 women.
His allegations dated back in the mid 1960s where he faced a lawsuit from an actress he did later on settled the lawsuit. But it wasn't until October 2014 his allegations resurfaced after a stand up routine by Hannibal Buress was talking about how Bill Cosby is hypocritical criticizing African Americans for their 'behavior" while he was accused of sexual assault and drugging and raping women. Many more women came forward accusing him of drugging and raping them. More than 60 women have accused him of either attempted sexual assault, rape, drug-facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct, which he had denied, and the statute of limitations had by then expired in nearly all cases.
Cosby had repeatedly denied the allegations and maintained his innocence. In November 2014, he responded to a question about the allegations and said: "I don't talk about it." In past interviews that were made public, Cosby declined to discuss the accusations. However, he told Florida Today, "People shouldn't have to go through that and shouldn't answer to innuendos." In May 2015 he said, "I have been in this business 52 years and I've never seen anything like this. Reality is a situation and I can't speak."
In the wake of the allegations, numerous organizations have severed ties with Cosby, and honors and titles that were previously awarded to him have been revoked. Reruns of The Cosby Show and other shows featuring Cosby have also been pulled from syndication by many organizations. 25 colleges and universities have rescinded honorary degrees. In an attempt to explain the backlash against Cosby, Adweek reporter Jason Lynch noted that the "media landscape has changed considerably—and has now been joined by the far-less-forgiving social media arena".
He was later arrested on December 30th, 2015 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with 3 counts of sexual assault and he is facing several sexual assault charge filed against him and subsequently turned due for trial on April 2018. Facing up to 15-30 years in prison if found guilty on all three counts and a fine of $25,000.
On April 26th, 2018; Bill Cosby was found guilty of all charges of sexual assault. On September 25th, 2018, he was sentenced to three to ten years in prison; he is currently incarcerated at State Correctional Institution – Phoenix in Pennsylvania, a maximum security prison that opened shortly before his sentencing. Cosby was labeled a sexually violent predator by the Pennsylvania Sex Offenders Assessment Board.
In 2021, Bill Cosby was released from prison, after his conviction was overturned.
Videos
List of Accusers
| Victim | Crime | Date | Accused |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Bowman | Rape | 1986 | 2005 |
| Beverly Johnson | Attempted assault | 1980s | 2013 |
| Louisa Moritz | Rape | 1971 | 2014 |
| Kristina Ruehli | Rape | 1965 | 2014 |
| Therese Serignese | Rape | 1976 | 2005 |
| Tamara Green | Sexual assault | 1970s | 2005 |
| Beth Ferrier | Sexual assault | 1980s | 2005 |
| Joan Tarshis | Rape | 1969 | 1980s |
| Victoria Valentino | Rape | 1970 | 1996 |
| Janice Dickinson | Rape | 1982 | 2002 |
| Carla Ferrigno | Attempted assault | 1967 | 2014 |
| Linda Joy Traitz | Sexual assault | 1969 | 2014 |
| Renita Chaney Hill | Child sexual abuse | 1982 | 2014 |
| Angela Leslie | Sexual assault | 1992 | 2014 |
| Lachele Covington | Sexual assault | 2000 | 2000 |
| Patricia Steuer | Sexual assault | 1978,
1980 |
2015 |
| Linda Kirkpatrick | Sexual assault | 1981 | 2015 |
| Linda Brown | Sexual assault | 1969 | 2015 |
| Kaya Thompson | Sexual assault | 1980s | 2015 |
| Sunni Welles | Sexual assault | 1960s | 2015 |
| Kacey | Sexual assault | 1996 | 2015 |
| Chelan Lasha | Sexual assault | 1986 | 2014 |
| Helen Hayes | Alleged assault | 1973 | 2014 |
| Heidi Thomas | Rape | 1984 | 2014 |
| PJ Masten | Rape | 1979 | 2014 |
| Sarita Butterfield | Alleged assault | 1977 | 2014 |
| Janice Baker Kinney | Rape | 1982 | 2015 |
| Autumn Burns | Rape | 1970 | 2015 |
| Lili Bernard | Rape | 1990s | 2015 |
| Sammie Mays | Sexual assault | 1987 | 2015 |
| Margie Shapiro | Rape | 1975 | 2015 |
| Joyce Emmons | Alleged assault | 1979,
1980 |
2014 |
| Rebecca Lynn Neal | Rape | 1986 | 2015 |
| Jewel Allison | Rape | 1990 | 2015 |
| Lise-Lotte Lublin | Rape | 1989 | 2015 |
| Cindra Ladd | Rape | 1969 | 2015 |
| Helen Gumpel | Attempted assault | 1987 | 2015 |
| Kathy McKee | Rape | 1973 | 2014 |
| Charlotte Fox | Rape | 1970s | 2015 |
| Marcella Tate | Rape | 1975 | 2015 |
| Shawn Brown | Rape | 1970s | 1990s |
| Lisa Jones | Attempted assault | 1986 | 2014 |
| Judith Huth | Child sexual abuse | 1974 | 2014 |
| Eden Tirl | Sexual harassment | 1990 | 2015 |
| Elizabeth | Rape | 1976 | 2015 |
| Jena T. | Sexual assault | 1988 | 2015 |
| Lisa | Sexual assault | 1988 | 2015 |
| Michelle Hurd | Attempted assault | 1995 | 2014 |
| Andrea Constand | Sexual assault | 2004 | 2005 |
| Chloe Goins | Sexual assault | 2008 | 2014 |
| Lisa Christie | Attempted assault | 1989 | 2015 |
| Pamela Abeyta | Rape | 1979 | 2015 |
| Sharon Van Ert | Sexual assault | 1976 | 2015 |
| Jane Doe (multiple) | Alleged assault | Unknown | 2005 |
| Sandy | Rape | 1980 | 2014 |
| Cynthia Myers | Alleged assault | 1997 | 2011 |
| Charlotte Kemp | Attempted assault | 1980s | 2014 |
| Dottye | Rape | 1984 | 2015 |
| Donna Barrett | Sexual assault | 2004 | 2015 |
| Linda Ridgeway Whitedeer | Sexual assault | 1970s | 2015 |
Impact on Cosby's legacy
Joan Tarshis, who had accused Cosby of raping her, within a Salon.com article, compared Cosby's damaged legacy to that of O.J. Simpson, saying "When you hear O.J. Simpson's name, you don't think 'Oh, great football player'. That doesn't come to mind first. I'm thinking it's not going to be 'Oh, great comedian'. It's going to be 'Oh, serial rapist'."
In 2015, Ebony magazine released an issue with Cosby's allegations as the cover story, discussing the importance of The Cosby Show and if it is possible to separate Bill Cosby from Cliff Huxtable. The cover depicted a photograph of The Huxtables with a cracked frame, symbolizing the show's damaged and complicated legacy.
Rolling Stone placed Cosby's concert film Bill Cosby: Himself as number 8 on its list of "The 25 Best Stand-Up Specials of All Time", acknowledging the significance of the film while still saying "Yes, it's damned near impossible to watch anything the tainted comedian has done and not think of the headlines, the heckling, the revelations and what is, by any definition, monstrous behavior." They also placed Cosby at number 8 on their list of "The Best Stand-up Comics Of All Time", saying "Bill Cosby is not likely to perform again; listening to his records will never have that gentle, sweet sense of nostalgia for anyone; and while it is impossible to disconnect the performer from the man, scrubbing his name from the annals of stand-up would be impossible."