Bill Cosby: American Icon, Comedian, Serial Rapist?

By Elana Goodwin on November 21, 2014

Renowned comedian and American icon Bill Cosby may have another descriptor he can add to his name: serial rapist. To date, 15 women have come forward and accused Cosby of sexual assault.

Bill Cosby
Photo Credit: rappler.com

But these charges aren’t new to Bill Cosby. The first time these kind of accusations were leveled against the 77-year-old entertainer was back in 2005. In January 2005, former Temple University employee Andrea Constand claimed Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her at his home in 2004.

Constand didn’t press criminal charges because of a lack of evidence but a month later, in February 2005, California lawyer Tamara Green came forward with allegations that Bill Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1970s.

In November 2006, Constand filed a civil suit against Cosby, with 13 women with similar allegations prepared to serve as Jane Doe witnesses for Constand. But Constand and Cosby ended up settling out of court so the 13 women never got the chance to act as witnesses.

Aspiring actress Barbara Bowman, one of the Jane Doe witnesses, had her story and allegations about Cosby written up in People Magazine in December 2006. She said she kept quiet about it happening and continued to be mentored by Cosby because “Who’s gonna believe this? He was a powerful man. He was like the president.”

And then, it’s as if the whole ugly scandal gets swept under the rug. After December 2006, Bill Cosby’s name in the headlines is no longer linked to sexual assault and rape allegations and the women and their accusations fade away into the background.

So how, then, did it all come back into the limelight now? The answer lies with stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress, who in a Philadelphia show last month called Bill Cosby a rapist in his set. Somebody filmed Buress, put the clip up online, and it went viral, bringing Cosby’s past allegations back into focus.

Amid the rape allegations, NBC and Netflix have both distanced themselves from Cosby. Cosby had been developing a family-oriented comedy for NBC which the network has announced is no longer in development.

He was also set to have a comedy special, “Bill Cosby 77,” premiere on Netflix November 27 which has been postponed. TV Land network has also indefinitely pulled reruns of “The Cosby Show.” And Bill Cosby himself cancelled scheduled interviews and appearances on several talk shows.

Barbara Bowman, one of Bill Cosby’s alleged victims
Photo Credit: Audra Arbas

On November 13, former Jane Doe witness Barbara Bowman wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post called “Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?”

Bowman wrote that it’s “only after a man … called Bill Cosby a rapist in a comedy act last month did the public outcry begin in earnest.”

And therein lies a huge problem: why did it take so long for these allegations to get the attention they deserve? Why did a man have to give credence to these allegations for more women to feel safe coming forward with similar stories of sexual assault at the hands of Bill Cosby?

When Cosby was asked during an NPR interview about the allegations on November 15, he simply shook his head and remained silent. His silence on the matter has also gained media attention, with The Washington Post calling it “perhaps the most significant dead air in the history of National Public Radio.”

The picture these women have painted of Bill Cosby, once known as America’s dad, is shocking and repulsive. All alleged Cosby, who was a mentor and father figure to many of the women, gave them pills before sexually assaulting them.

Cosby’s silence certainly doesn’t help his case any, though his lawyer has stated that he “won’t dignify these allegations with any response.”

But Bill Cosby doesn’t have the power to dignify these accusations anymore — the public has already deemed them worthy of attention, and it’s about time his victims and alleged actions have gotten the outcry these deserve.

Even if it comes years too late and only because a man publicized them, Cosby’s legacy will now reflect and recognize the women he sexually assaulted over the years.

Whether or not they are decades old, these allegations against Cosby deserve to be in the headlines. Because they deserve to be taken seriously, and these women deserve to be believed and not subjected to victim-blaming.

While the statute of limitations may have run out for these women, meaning Cosby can no longer be charged for his crimes against them, (and there may be a lack of evidence all these years later even if he could be charged,) there is no statute of limitations on the truth.

It’s time for Bill Cosby’s alleged victims to be heard.

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