The uproar over allegations that Bill Cosby had molested or assaulted several women, in some cases years ago, was almost nowhere in evidence last night during a sold-out performance by the 77-year-old comedian on a college campus in Florida.
Despite exhortations by a local radio station - and an offer of money to anyone who had the nerve - no one stood up during Cosby's 90-minute appearance on the campus of Eastern Florida State College to demand an explanation from him about the women's accusations, something he has studiously avoided doing since the controversy arose.
Instead, Cosby - who did not address the issues - was greeted with a standing ovation and sent offstage with a second one at the end of his show.
Outside the theatre, however, three protesters held signs criticizing “victim shaming,” while another sign said, “Rape is no joke.” The protesters were kept more than 200 yards from the theatre and next to a main road, on orders from the police.
Earlier, three more women - detail their experiences with Cosby, all telling similar stories of being given drugs or alcohol before being sexually assaulted.
And in an interview on WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, another woman, Therese Serignese (57) a registered nurse, has accused Cosby of drugging and having sex with her after one of his shows at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1976 when she was 19.
Cosby’s lawyers have routinely characterized such allegations as unfounded. Amid the drumbeat of accusations, NBC last week said it was cancelling a Cosby pilot project, and the cable network TV Land quietly stopped showing repeats of ‘The Cosby Show’.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Netflix said it was postponing the debut of a comedy special. Other scheduled appearances by Cosby - on David Letterman's late-night show and Queen Latifah's daytime talk show - have also been cancelled.
In addition, two more shows on Cosby's stand-up comedy tour were cancelled: one at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and another at the Virginia Theater in Champaign, Illinois. More than 30 performances remain on a schedule that runs well into next spring.
New York Times