Update: In a prerecorded appearance on NPR’s Weekend Edition, Bill Cosby was joined by his wife, Camille, to discuss a loan of his extensive collection of African-American art to the Smithsonian Museum. According to NPR, host Scott Simon, during the interview, offered Cosby the opportunity to address the allegations that have been swirling in the news of late regarding sexual assault charges brought by a number of women in Cosby’s past.
Cosby reportedly shook his head and remained silent for an uncomfortable moment, and Simon resumed the conversation. You can hear the exchange on the video below.
Earlier:
In the aftermath of Bill Cosby’s devastating #CosbyMeme shame, the veteran comedian reportedly has canceled an appearance next week on The Late Show With David Letterman, Newsday reports. Regis Philbin is slated to appear in his place, the report says.
A representative for CBS declined to comment to the Huffington Post about the Nov. 19 schedule change, noting that the network does not publicly discuss its booking process. Cosby’s representatives did not respond to repeated requests for comment, the Post writes.
The cancellation comes amid persistent, years-old allegations of rape and sexual abuse against the once-beloved comic icon, whose team Monday removed a meme generator, #CosbyMeme, after users uploaded messages about the allegations. Cosby has never been criminally charged in relation to any of the allegations.
On Oct. 30 Cosby canceled an appearance on The Queen Latifah Show, a change that came after stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress called Cosby “a rapist” during a routine that went viral, the site notes.
A representative of The Queen Latifah Show told the Hollywood Reporter that “Mr. Cosby’s scheduled appearance on The Queen Latifah Show was postponed at his request” and that the change “was in no way related to any of our recent or upcoming scheduled guests.”
The Huffington Post notes that the Late Show cancellation also comes after an op-ed by Barbara Bowman, one of the women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault, appeared in the Washington Post on Thursday, recalling encounters with the now 77-year-old comic. In a separate interview with HuffPost Live, Bowman said her experiences with Cosby were “sexual encounters that were not consensual on any level.”
Cosby was never criminally charged in Bowman’s case or any other, the Huffington Post notes. In 2006 he settled a civil suit with one of his accusers.
Read more at Newsday and the Huffington Post.