Bill Cosby has gone from beloved performer to social pariah in a matter of weeks. It's amazing just how quickly things have gone downhill for the aging comedian: it all started when stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress made a joke about Cosby's previous accusations of sexual abuse. Video of the performance went viral, and after the past month, the footage has pulled in millions of views. A few weeks later, Cosby's Twitter posted an image of the star with the caption 'Meme me!' Users took advantage of the post to bring the sexual abuse allegations back into the light.
On top of everything, reports from women who have allegedly been abused by Cosby have also begun to surface. Some reports are old, while others are completely new; regardless, legions of former fans are infuriated with Cosby - so much so that the comedian cancelled an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman last week.
Things certainly aren't getting any better for Cosby, as Netflix announced that it would be delaying the premiere of the comedian's new special, 77. The special, which was supposed to air on Nov. 28, has now been postponed indefinitely. While the Netflix listing still says that the special is on-schedule, representatives from the streaming service have confirmed with CNN that the special will not air as planned.
While Netflix did not outright say that the special would be cancelled, there is a chance that it will be. A poll from Variety revealed that the vast majority believe that NBC should cut its ties with Cosby, despite having worked with the comedian since January on a new sitcom. NBC has defended Cosby's work in the past, and said that it would stand by Cosby's new project. However, that was back in July - earlier today, the network quietly announced that it would be cutting ties with Cosby's upcoming projects altogether.
As luck would have it, CNN isn't helping Cosby's reputation much at all, either. CNN anchor Don Lemon recently interviewed one of Cosby's alleged victims, Joan Tarshis: while the woman told a horrifying story about her encounters with Cosby, Lemon's response is about as awful as it gets:
It's absolutely appalling that a story of sexual abuse and rape would elicit such a response.
Judging by the outcry that these new allegations and accusations have caused, it's safe to say that Cosby's career has been tarnished forever. Despite working as a beloved actor for decades, it seems that the tail end of Cosby's life will be remembered for a very different reason.
Photo: The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia (cropped)
