A Lovefraud reader asked me to write about the Bill Cosby scandal. A total of 27 women have publicly come forward to tell their stories of being sexually assaulted by the famous comedian.
A complete list of the women who have accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault, on Slate.com.
As I read the accounts, I kept seeing virtually the same story, over and over.
Many of the women were young models and actresses who claim Cosby made a pretense of offering them career advice. One woman, however, was a 19-year-old waitress who said Cosby offered her a ride home and then assaulted her. Another woman was 19 when Cosby approached her in a gift shop at the Las Vegas Hilton, where he was performing, and invited her backstage. She says she was drugged, and woke up to find him having sex with her in the green room bathroom.
At this point the shocking realization hit me: This could have happened to me.
Atlantic City Magazine
From 1978 through 1982 I was editor of Atlantic City Magazine. It was my first job out of college.
The job sounds more prestigious than it was. Casino gambling had just become legal in New Jersey, and Atlantic City’s first casino opened a few weeks after I graduated from college. Atlantic City Magazine was a startup publication. I was not only the first editor; I was the first employee.
I had majored in magazine journalism in college, and founded a campus magazine. But I think the prime reason I got the job in Atlantic City was because I was in the right place at the right time.
Arranging the Cosby interview
Atlantic City Magazine frequently published interviews with the headline entertainers who performed at the casinos. Sometime around 1980, when I was 24 years old, Bill Cosby, who regularly appeared in Atlantic City, agreed to be interviewed.
I needed to finalize the time and place where our writer would meet the comedian. But Cosby wasn’t available — he was playing tennis with a casino executive. So in this era before cell phones, I drove over to the indoor tennis courts.
After making the arrangements with a casino PR person, I, along with a few others, watched Cosby play tennis.
As the game was coming to an end, Cosby announced that he wanted to go to the famous White House Sub Shop. But he didn’t have a car. So as the casino folks were trying to figure out how to get him to the sub shop, Cosby pointed at me and said, “She’ll take me.”
Driving Bill Cosby
I was astounded. Everybody looked at me, and I said I could take him.
So, when Cosby finished playing tennis, we got into my car. The car was something plain and white that Atlantic City Magazine rented for me — certainly not what I assume the TV star was accustomed to driving in.
I was star struck. During the 15 minutes that it took to drive from the tennis courts to the sub shop, I tried to engage Cosby in conversation. He didn’t say much. But he did spit out the window.
When we arrived at the sub shop, I stopped the car, let him out and drove away.
It never occurred to me to go in with him, be a groupie, order subs, or make sure he got back to the casino. That’s how naive I was.
Dodged a bullet
Later, realizing that I’d let an opportunity to make an important connection slip through my fingers, I berated myself for my stupidity.
But now, after reading the accounts of all the young women who claim that Cosby assaulted them, I can’t help but wonder if the same thing could have happened to me.
Maybe Cosby assumed that I’d go into the White House with him, and drive him back to the casino. Then, perhaps he would have invited me backstage. I know I would not have questioned his intentions. I didn’t understand then that rich, famous, powerful men took advantage of young women.
Had Bill Cosby done the same thing to me that he allegedly did to all those other young women, I know one thing. I would have been severely traumatized.
So perhaps I was lucky that I drove away.
More info:
Everything you need to know about the Bill Cosby scandal, on Time.com
Bill Cosby’s legacy, recast: Accusers speak in detail about sexual assault allegations, on WashingtonPost.com.
I was chewed up and spit out in a ‘classic’ manner and at record speed
I have never been a big fan of Roseanne but I do applaud her here for coming out and saying basically every woman in Hollywood knows to steer clear of Cosby…they have heard these stories for years & years about his drugging & rapping. This is why he went after young naive teenagers who were trying to break into show business = these young girls did not hear the stories.
Roseanne danced around a little bit because she has to watch out for being sued by Cosby. But what she stated if you really read the word is these victims are telling the truth & she is saying Cosby tell the truth so that these victims have validation that YES you did these evil things to them…the number one thing any victim wants from a sociopath is for them to come forward and say Yes this victim is/has been telling the truth about me. The second thing a victims wants is the predator behind bars.
Lots of people on social media have stated “if this is true why didn’t these victims come forward sooner” and Roseanne is saying WE HEARD about these stories for years & years. That is some validation for these victims.
Roseanne saying “make it right” might not be the words you choose but again she is having to dance a fine line between freedom of speech and getting sued by Cosby. Here is what she states:
“You’ve been pretty vocal on social media about the allegations against Bill Cosby. Did those allegations surprise you?”
“No, because like everybody else now I’m really [going to get] in trouble ”“ but, you know, like every woman in Hollywood there’s hardly any hairdressers or waitresses or working women who don’t know somebody,” Barr said. “We’ve all heard it for a long time, and it surprises nobody.”
Roseanne On The Cosby Scandal: Can He ’Make It Right’?
Robinson asked Barr why she thinks women are speaking up now with allegations against Cosby.
“Well, ’cause nobody gives a damn” until a man says it. But once Hannibal Buress said it,” Barr replied, referencing Buress’ bit on Cosby, which made headlines after being captured in a clip, posted on PhillyMag.com last year.
Jan7 ” I’m with you. I also think Roseanne was being “Hollywood correct” and didn’t come down hard on him simply because she still needs to work in the entertainment industry. On her show last November Wendy Williams talked about how Cosby demanded she be fired from her radio host job in 1990 when she did a hot topic piece on him discussing rape allegations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXmiV73ZNr4
Mark Ebner, Hollywood investigative journalist, broke a story about Bill Cosby rape allegations back in 2007 after hearing years of rumors detailing Cosby’s drugging and sexual abuse of women. http://104.131.72.208/?p=30 It was virtually ignored by the media back then as nobody wanted to go there with Cosby.
Ebner gives an excellent interview (about 30 minutes) providing insider perspective of Hollywood mentality, media cover-ups, and how Cosby and his team have manipulated and hid the truth of his hideous behavior. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euXvur4MSeQ
What amazes me is how this monster continues to perform with impunity. He was scheduled to appear in my city but it was cancelled. Had it not been, I’d have had the biggest sign on the street protesting this rapist. This sociopath is going to continue to do what he’s been doing, with no remorse, conscience or soul. He’s raping the public and making money doing it. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/448/699/480/cancel-bill-cosbys-performance/
Another brave victims comes forward:
“….A former fashion model and actress says Bill Cosby made sexual advances and lewd gestures toward her on the set of The Cosby Show.
Helen Gumpel, formerly known as Helen Selby, says Cosby had her sit on a couch in his dressing room, where he handed her a drink then stood in front of her with his crotch in her face.
Gumpel held a news conference in Boston on Sunday. A Cosby spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment….” (full story on Dailymail
Guess I spoke too soon (post of Jan 21st). Cosby does s*** where he eats!
There hasn’t been any forthcoming information on the latest criminal complaint filed in LA against Cosby. For obvious reasons they’re keeping it very hush-hush. Hopefully the LAPD will find credible evidence supporting the victim’s complaint. If so, the wheels will turn, he’s prosecuted and off he goes to prison (and not a celebrity one, no special treatment) where he can be raped by his fellow inmates. Also, I think a part of his sentence should be that he’s ordered to set up a 100 million dollar charity fund titled “I Was Sexually Assaulted By Bill Cosby” for victims and another 100 million dollar charity fund titled “The Bill Cosby Rape Fund” proceeds for rape crisis centers across the country.
Latest Headline: “Cosby ponders buying a 3 million apartment in lower Manhattan” (nydailynews.com). Is Camille giving him the boot? Let’s hope so.
Knownow, I have been wondering the same about the investigation. I hope that LAPD can charge him some way & that he goes to jail. All of his victims deserve to see him sitting in jail.
I hope Camille has a strong group of woman friends & family that are guiding her to see the truth about her sociopathic husband. 50 years under Bill Cosby mind control & brain washing is very hard to escape. Just like sandusky’s wife.
I wonder if Cosby hooked his wife on pills years ago so that he could control her easily.
That’s a possibility or maybe he didn’t want to “defile” his wife. Who knows she might be so brain-washed, emotionally abused, addicted to a wealthy life-style and his supposed legacy that she has lost her moral bearings, which she has. She’s a victim as well. All of America is a victim, even his supporters.
Cosby’s attorneys say they have proof he wasn’t in LA at the time of the complaint (ie phone logs etc.) Well, where is it? If so then why hasn’t the LAPD dismissed the charges? Wouldn’t put it past Cosby’s dream team to fake records placing him in NY and not at the Playboy mansion, or even destroying video evidence from the mansion.
Knownow, Cosby’s PR team & lawyers have been spinning everyones head away from the fact that he is a very sick minded man for over 52 years. So sad for all of these victims who have been coming forward for years only to be raked over very hot coals by his high paid team. This is why victims remain silent in such cases, they don’t want to deal with a lying manipulative person any further. I am glad that all of these victims have joined forces to tell the world the truth about his evil man.
As for Camille Cosby…she is a victim…this man appears to be a sociopath with narcissistic traits and we all know how they break down their victims every min of each day. She is a cult follower to her cult leader husband. So sad, I truly hope she escapes his grip asap.
I hope that the Playboy mansion does not protect him & that the LAPD finally can arrest this serial child molester rapist once and for all.
Cosby has been a cult for decades involving accomplices. All who helped, supported and enabled Cosby to continue raping for fifty years are also considered to be accomplices and habitual felony rapists. No doubt Camille and family have succumbed to his cult sociopathic evil.
Getting back to Cosby’s drugs, one of his dealers came forward back in December 2014 revealing that Cosby had scored thousands of pills over the years. Granted, it was a National Enquirer tabloid piece (http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/world-exclusive-bill-cosby-scored-2000-pills-dr-feelgood) but these reports have a way of revealing kernels of truth. The drug dealer even expressed concern regarding the overdose of his victims. LAPD needs to look into the Enquirer and its source
Cosby has been a cult for decades involving accomplices. All who helped, supported and enabled Cosby to continue raping for fifty years are also considered to be accomplices and habitual felony rapists. No doubt Camille and family have succumbed to his cult sociopathic evil.
Getting back to Cosby’s drugs, one of his dealers came forward back in December 2014 revealing that Cosby had scored thousands of pills over the years. Granted, it was a National Enquirer tabloid piece (http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/world-exclusive-bill-cosby-scored-2000-pills-dr-feelgood) but these reports have a way of revealing kernels of truth. The drug dealer even expressed concern regarding the overdose of his victims. LAPD needs to look into the Enquirer and its source.
Two more victims came forward today and Gloria Allred says there are many more to follow. Cosby’s guilt is beyond doubt. How many women did he sexually assault and rape? Over fifty years? Probably hundreds! We need, the public needs, to see Cosby for what he is ” a sick sociopath, violent sexual predator and serial rapist. For every victim who comes forward there are fifty more too afraid to do so. He pulled a bait and switch getaway at his last show (guilty) and has cancelled more upcoming performances (guilty) in hopes that this will just go away. This cannot go away. Our collective outrage and voices must be heard until this ugly evil monster is behind bars for his remaining days.
Just heart wrenching how many young innocent women he abused.
Knownow, YES, I have read that sociopaths/psychopaths on average have 100 victims over a life time, whether a rapist, child molester, con artist type etc.
I am in awe of these incredibly brave women who have found the strength to come forward. So so Brave!!
It’s sad that so many people do not believe the victims but would rather defend a abuser because he played some TV doctor years ago. Cosby is a masterful manipulator…he set up society by playing a family man doctor on a tv show. Everything a sociopath does is intentional manipulation incase someone attempts to expose their abusive ways and Cosby is no different.
I just hope the one victim who was abused within the statutory limits can get him convicted…Cosby needs to be in prison. And his wife needs to be finally set free from this evil mans grip.
USA Today reports: Two new accusers came forward Thursday to assail Bill Cosby for sexually assaulting them, including one who labeled him a “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” personality.
The two women were produced at a Los Angeles press conference by crusading attorney Gloria Allred, who already represents some half-dozen of the nearly three-dozen women who have accused Cosby of drugging and raping them in decades past.
Allred has become Cosby’s main legal adversary, and she promises to continue to hound him as he attempts to press on with his current tour, already marked by protests, postponements and cancellations.
Cosby has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
“Mr. Cosby thinks that this will soon be over and that no more women will come forward,” Allred said. “He is very wrong. I still have many women who have not yet come forward but who are willing to do so in the future.”
New Cosby accusers have come forward nearly every week since about November, including some with lawyers who are not Allred.
On Sunday, it was a woman named Helen Gumpel, who said at a press conference in Boston that Cosby tried to accost her in a dressing room on The Cosby Show in 1987, when she was an actress on the show.
Today, I no longer have sympathy for Camille. She’s known for too long what he’s been doing ” the Hollywood gossip for years, the affairs, the prostitutes, the drugging, sexual molestation and rape. She’s as complicit as the people he employed to cover his heinous behavior. Furthermore, she could be legally responsible for withholding information as to his criminal activities. If I could say one thing to her it would be “distance yourself from him ASAP. If you don’t, it will come back to bite you big time”.
Linda Brown, one of the two women that just came forward, told reporters she met Cosby in 1969 in Canada and went to his hotel suite where he gave her a soft drink that caused her to black out. She said that when she woke up, she was naked next to him in bed. “I couldn’t move or speak. I felt paralyzed, he flipped me over and sexually assaulted me,” Brown said. “I FELT LIKE A RAG DOLL AND LIKE A REAL-LIFE BLOW-UP DOLL FOR HIM.”
There is no statute of limitations in Canada. Hope she legally pursues this evil man.