Netflix Nixes Planned Bill Cosby Special Following Rape Scandal
As accusations of sexual assault continue to build against Bill Cosby, Netflix has decided to shelve the comedian's one-hour standup special, Bill Cosby 77, originally planned to hit the streaming service Nov. 28.
"At this time we are postponing the launch of the new stand-up comedy special 'Bill Cosby 77,'" Netflix said in their announcement. The special was set to go live on the comedian's 77th birthday.
Vulture's TV biz guru Josef Adalian speculated yesterday that Netflix, barring any continued bad press for the comedian, was likely to move forward with the special.
"The streaming giant can argue the special has already been shot and Cosby has been paid," Adalian wrote. "And that, much the same way its streaming of [Woody] Allen's films doesn't constitute an endorsement of him in any way, neither does the posting of a Cosby special."
But Netflix's announcement to shelve the special comes on the heels of model Janice Dickinson telling Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday evening that she was also raped by Cosby.
David Brokaw, Cosby's spokesman, told Ad Age, "My client says that he is in agreement with Netflix." The state of the sitcom Cosby is developing with NBC remains unclear, though it's been widely reported the show's pilot, in which he would play "an advice-giving grandpa," doesn't have a script.
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