Editor’s note: I was so excited to meet the famous comedian back in 1979. I had memorized many of his comedy routines to use in my speech classes in high school. I remember how shocked I was during the press conference (hear an excerpt below) when he was SO serious about everything. I had expected him to be funny. Now all these years later I realize there was a lot more going on with this man than comedy…..
June 17, 2017: Judge declares a mistrial in Bill Cosby sexual assault case
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June 8, 2017: Bill Cosby Trial Day 4: More Testimony, but No Mrs. Cosby
By GRAHAM BOWLEY and JON HURDLE
- With the major prosecution witnesses now finished testifying at Bill Cosby’s trial on sexual assault charges, who will the defense introduce soon as part of its rebuttal? Mr. Cosby has said he will not testify. Might he change his mind?
- The prosecution plans to call a forensic toxicologist to testify about the effects of quaaludes and other drugs, which prosecutors say Mr. Cosby used to incapacitate women. Click here to read more:
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June 6, 2017: By Donna Green-Townsend
A 50-year-career in the entertainment business is on the line for 79-year-old comedian Bill Cosby.
Cosby is on trial this week in a sexual assault case which many say will “define his legacy” as a father and family man both on screen and off.
Cosby’s private life has been targeted by dozens of young women who say the actor drugged and sexually assaulted them. The majority of those claims will never be decided by a court because of the statute of limitations….basically the women waited too long to come forward. But that’s not the case for former Temple University basketball staffer, 44 year-old Andrea Constand, who will take the stand in suburban Philadelphia this week and tell her story in public for the first time.
There is a bit of irony in the latest troubles facing the revered comedian. In a 1979 press conference, five years before he played the character of Dr. Cliff Huxtable on his popular sitcom, Cosby was critical about the lack of good role models on television. The press conference took place before his show at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, KS.
Excerpt of the 1979 press conference at the KS State Fair:
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First version of story Dec. 4, 2014:
Amid the wave of sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby, the comedian resigned Monday from the board of trustees of his alma mater, Temple University.
Bill Cosby’s troubles continue to mount. On Tuesday a Riverside County, California woman, Judy Huth, filed a lawsuit against the beleaguered comedian alleging he sexually assaulted her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of sexual assault accusations against 77 year old Cosby. Cosby’s attorney Martin D. Singer, describes the recent accusations as “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories.”
Meanwhile, many of Cosby’s scheduled stage performances have been cancelled. Television executives have halted two of Cosby’s television projects and have also yanked reruns of the popular, “The Cosby Show,” off the air. The sitcom dominated television ratings from1984 to 1992. Before the show, most people primarily knew the comedian for his jello pudding commercials and Fat Albert cartoons along with his many stand-up comedy routines.