Losing the Bill Cosby We Knew
When asked about recent allegations against Bill Cosby, Chris Rock fell into what is for him an unusual position. He was at a loss for words.
"I don't know what to say," he told New York magazine. "What do you say? I hope it's not true. That's all you can say. I really do. I grew up on Cosby. I love Cosby, and I just hope it's not true."
A lot of us long-time Cosby fans have been at a loss for words ever since long-simmering allegations suddenly boiled over in recent weeks that he drugged and sexually assaulted women over many years.
Then Rock mused: "It's a weird year for comedy. We lost Robin, we lost Joan and we kind of lost Cosby."
Yes, we have. Unlike the losses of Robin Williams and Joan Rivers, Cosby is still alive but that's more than we can say for his comedy career or his stature as a civic role model.
The bad news for Cos keeps on coming. On Monday, he resigned from his alma mater Temple University's board of trustees under pressure from an online petition campaign.
Other colleges that have honored the 77-year-old actor, comedian and philanthropic supporter of historically black colleges and universities also have begun to sever ties with him.
Earlier a Netflix special, a new NBC show planned for next fall and a growing number of dates on his comedy tour have been cancelled or "indefinitely postponed."
After years of enjoying him in roles as varied as Cliff Huxtable on his groundbreaking "Cosby" show and pitchman on JELLO Pudding Pops commercials, can Cosby ever make us laugh again?
Like any other accused, he deserves the presumption of innocence. But we're talking here about the court of public opinion, not a court of law.
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