Editorial board Nov. 20
Amid old and new allegations of sexual assault coming from fifteen women, Bill Cosby’s career is on the chopping block.
Last Wednesday, according to an article published by TIME, Netflix “postponed” the airing of a Cosby stand-up special that was set to air Friday, NBC “halted development” on the Cosby sitcom that was planned to debut next fall and TV Land pulled all reruns of the show from its schedule.
Members of The Spectator Editorial Board agreed it was appropriate for NBC to stop the production of the new show and for Netflix to cancel the Friday comedy special starring Cosby but thought TV Land’s removal all past shows was not warranted.
One member of the Editorial Board compared Cosby’s situation to Paula Deen’s racial slur. While the situations are not identical, they are similar in that when the accusations surfaced, both celebrities lost all they had worked for.
The same member said the standards for discipline need to be more clear-cut and the reactions to allegations need to change. The member pointed out the recent allegations were not the first allegations.
Another member echoed, saying these women have spoken out before. The member said women need to be encouraged to speak out when they have experienced any form of sexual assault.
One member said we need to hold celebrities more accountable for their actions.
“We need to hold them accountable before they are old and out of their prime,” the member said.
In 2006, Cosby settled a civil lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her at his home. The same member said action should have been taken against Cosby before he hit the latter stages of his life.
Another member said they were not surprised that when one corporation pulled out, other corporations took notice and also cancelled shows and events.
One member said NBC’s and Netflix’s decisions to cancel currently-happening appearances was warranted.
“You probably shouldn’t be promoting this guy as a network,” the member said.
The same member said the decision TV Land made to pull all reruns of “The Cosby Show” was too rash.
“‘The Cosby Show’ made progress in the portrayal of African Americans in television and Cosby was a big part of that,” another member said. “By pulling all of the reruns, TV Land is erasing all the hard work that a whole team of people put in.”
Another member wondered if the instant reaction to cancel shows and pull reruns will be the new standard.