Bill Cosby Rape Allegations News Latest: Studios Scrap Shows Amid Renewed Rape Allegations
Netflix was planning to host a Bill Cosby stand-up comedy special next week, but with the resurfacing of sexual assault allegations against the veteran comedian, Netflix decided to postpone the airing of the show indefinitely.
Likewise, NBC scrapped its planned pilot for a show that would bring Cosby back on TV. In addition to this, TV Land has stopped airing "The Cosby Show" which initially made Cosby famous in the 1980s.
Cosby, who was due to be featured in The Late Night Show with David Letterman and on Queen Latifah's talk show, has cancelled these appearances. Analysts say this indicates that Cosby is not interested in addressing the sexual assault allegations which have been publicly leveled against him by four women so far.
The sexual assault allegations against Cosby aren't new; they were first brought to public attention in 2005 when Andrea Constand filed a case against him. In it she accused him of drugging and sexually assaulting her. The case also mentioned that 13 other women had confessed to having been assaulted by Cosby and that they were ready to testify.
Subsequently, the case was settled out of court and an undisclosed amount was paid to Constand. Until recently, there had been little news about the allegations.
However, with Cosby planning many shows in connection with his 77th birthday, attention was drawn to him when an up and coming comedian Hannibal Buress described him as a rapist. Buress' video went viral on the Internet.
That led to Barbara Bowman accusing Cosby of rape in an article in the Washington Post. Two other women including Janice Dickinson also came forward to make the same accusation against Cosby.
The latest controversy appears to have prompted Netflix and NBC to cancel their respective scheduled shows featuring Cosby.
At this point, the accusations have not translated into actual court cases. The New York Times notes that making a case against Cosby would be difficult as there is no forensic evidence to back up the charges and that several decades have already passed since the alleged incidents took place.
