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As sexual allegations against Bill Cosby continue to surface — a total of 15 women have made complaints, 6 of them who have identified themselves publicly — NBC has decided to pull the plug on a sitcom it was developing with the comedian for next year.
The network declined to comment further about the project, which would have starred Cosby as the patriarch of a multi-generational family and was in the early development stages.
TV Land on Wednesday pulled all "Cosby Show" reruns from its schedule effective immediately. On Tuesday, Netflix also decided to postpone the streaming of its Thanksgiving Day special "Bill Cosby 77" after actress and model Janice Dickinson came forward saying she was assaulted by Cosby in the 1980s. Cosby's attorney, Marty Singer, blasted Dickinson's claims as a "complete lie."
Cosby, 77, has not addressed the mounting allegations against him.
The allegations first surfaced in 2005 when Andrea Constand, the former director of operations of Temple University's women's basketball program, sued Cosby, claiming that he had given her pills he called "herbal medication" to help her cope with stress when she visited his Philadelphia-area mansion in 2004 and, after she consumed them, he touched her breasts and genitals and assaulted her.
Cosby has several stand-up appearances scheduled over the next few days, including a sold-out show at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Fl, on Friday which will go on, according to a statement issued by King Center management.
“Mr. Cosby is a well-respected member of the entertainment community and one of America’s most beloved performers. While we are aware of the allegations reported in the press, we are only in a position to judge him based on his career as an entertainer and humanitarian."
A spokesperson for Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas told NBC News that it will move forward with Cosby's show on Nov. 28. "All of his shows here have been sellouts; we have no reason to think that this one won’t be, too. However, if anyone wants to return his or her tickets, he or she is welcome to, just as is our policy with all of our shows."
But Katherine Hull, vice president of communications for the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network praised NBC's and Netflix's decisions in a statement on Wednesday.
"We appreciate that NBC and Netflix have taken these allegations seriously and think that they've made the responsible choice by canceling these shows. The coverage of the Bill Cosby story has already led to a significant increase in the number of survivors reaching out for help through the National Sexual Assault Hotline."
Janice Dickinson accuses Bill Cosby of rape
Nov. 19, 201402:56IN-DEPTH
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