bill cosby to tour

Bill Cosby Plans to Tour in 2023

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Bill Cosby is eyeing a return to touring in 2023. The controversial comedian said as much during a surprise Dec. 28 radio interview on “WGH Talk” with host Scott Spears. Cosby answered “yes” when asked if 2023 is the year he finally might be able to tour again.

Cosby, now 85, was convicted in Pennsylvania in April 2018 of a criminal sex assault charge. He was released in 2021 following nearly three years in prison after the conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court.

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Cosby’s rep, Andrew Wyatt, confirmed to Variety that the comedian is “looking at spring/summer to start touring.”

Earlier this month, five women filed a new sexual assault lawsuit against NBC and Bill Cosby under a New York state law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations for older sexual assault claims. The women  allege  that Cosby either raped them or forced them into sexual acts. Four of the allegations date from the late 1980s or 1990, when the actor was at the height of his fame as the star of “The Cosby Show” on NBC. The fifth allegation involves Cindra Ladd, a former Hollywood executive who has  accused  Cosby of raping her in 1969.

Wyatt called the lawsuit “frivolous” and said the five women were part of a “parade of accusers” who had come forward between 2014 and 2016.

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Bill Cosby plans to tour in 2023 even as he faces a new sexual assault lawsuit

Giulia Heyward

Bill Cosby at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., on the first day of sentencing in his sexual assault trial on Sept. 24, 2018. Mark Makela/Getty Images hide caption

Bill Cosby at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., on the first day of sentencing in his sexual assault trial on Sept. 24, 2018.

Bill Cosby, who was convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting a woman, plans to start touring next year. The news comes just weeks after five women filed another sexual assault lawsuit against the 85-year-old comedian.

Cosby's publicist and crisis manager, Andrew Wyatt, told NPR on Thursday that the tour is tentatively scheduled to occur "roughly around spring, summer or late summer" of 2023.

"We have so many — I mean, hundreds of thousands of supporters just asking for him to do a show," Wyatt said. "We have so many promoters across the country. He is in high demand."

Civil jury finds Bill Cosby sexually abused teenager in 1975

Nearly 60 women originally came forward to accuse Cosby of sexually assaulting them in recent years, following the #MeToo movement. The national movement — which sought to hold abusers in the entertainment industry accountable for sexual harassment and assault — led to a sexual assault trial against Cosby.

In 2018, a Pennsylvania jury found Cosby guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually violating a woman in his Cheltenham, Pa., home in 20o4. He was sentenced to at least three years , but in 2021 Cosby was released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated his conviction.

Earlier this month, five women — including two actors from The Cosby Show — filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Cosby using a new New York law, known as the Adult Survivors Act, which lets victims sue abusers even after the statute of limitations expires .

Wyatt told NPR that he does not think the pending lawsuit will affect Cosby's planned tour.

"People have looked at the allegations, they've looked at the information, and it's a money grab," Wyatt said.

W. Kamau Bell On Bill Cosby's Legacy

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act in May, creating a yearlong window for adult victims to sue their abusers for sexual assault, regardless of when the assault occurred. In 2019, the state enacted the Child Victims Act, a similar law for child sexual assault victims.

"The fight against sexual assault requires us to recognize the impact of trauma within our justice system," Hochul said, after signing the Adult Survivors Act into law. "I am proud to sign this legislation, which is part of our collective responsibility to protect one another and create an environment that makes survivors feel safe."

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Controversial comedian Bill Cosby is hoping to put his legal troubles aside and get back on the road next year, he revealed today in a radio interview.

“WGH Talk” host Scott Spears asked Cosby if he would return to comedy in the coming year, and was told “Yes.”

“When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” Cosby said, then added, there is “so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do,” Cosby said.

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He was released from prison in 2021 after his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court.

Cosby’s legal problems are far from over. Five women have filed a sexual assault lawsuit against him and NBC. Earlier this year, Cosby lost a civil trial when a women claimed she was forced to performa a sex act on him when she was 16. The jury awarded her $500K.

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Bill Cosby Plans 2023 Stand-Up Comedy Tour

Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is looking to begin touring again in 2023, a year after he was released from prison following the overturning of his sexual assault conviction.

Cosby made the announcement while talking to radio host Scott Spears on WGH Talk on Wednesday, December 28. “When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” the Cosby Show actor stated.

When asked by Spears if 2023 might be the year of his return, Cosby responded, “Yes. Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it.”

According to Variety , Cosby’s representative, Andrew Wyatt, confirmed that the comedian is “looking at spring/summer to start touring.”

In April 2018, Cosby was convicted in Pennsylvania of a sexual assault charge; he served three years in prison before the conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court. Since the controversial ruling, several more women have come forward with accusations against Cosby , dating all the way back to 1969.

Bill Cosby Sued for Sexual Assault by Former 'Cosby Show' Actors

Earlier this month, five women filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Cosby and NBC under a New York state law that suspends the statute of limitations for one year for older sexual assault claims. The lawsuit alleges that each woman was abused or assaulted by Cosby in the late 1960s through the 1990s, most taking place during his run on The Cosby Show on NBC.

The lawsuit also claims that Cosby’s actions were “well-known” and that NBC, Kaufman Astoria Studios, and Carsey-Werner Television “facilitated the sexual assault of women” by failing to check Cosby’s power and proclivities.

Wyatt called the lawsuit “frivolous,” according to Variety , adding that the five women were part of a “parade of accusers” who had made allegations between 2014 and 2016.

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Bill cosby considering return to touring in 2023.

Getting back on the comedy stage would follow Cosby’s sexual assault conviction being overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

By Etan Vlessing

Etan Vlessing

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Bill Cosby is eyeing a return to the comedy stage after a sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in June 2021.

On Wednesday, the comedian and onetime TV star hinted at a return to touring in 2023 while being interviewed by Scott Spears on his WGH Talk radio show. “Yes. Yes because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it,” he said during the interview.

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Despite his sexual assault conviction, Cosby was freed after serving two years of a three- to 10-year sentence in a state prison after the court ruled a “non-prosecution agreement” the actor struck with a previous prosecutor should have prevented him from being charged in a case that stemmed from a 2004 encounter with accuser Andrea Constand.

In March 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court without comment ruled that it would not review Cosby’s sexual assault case, which ended a two-decade legal drama and left the comic a free man, even as his reputation remained in tatters after his earlier conviction and imprisonment.

The TV star, now 85, last toured with his comedy act in 2015 across North America, performances that drew protests and included cancellations after around two dozen women came forward to claim Cosby sexually assaulted them decades earlier.

At the time, the comedian had yet to be charged in the wake of those allegations and protested his innocence through his lawyers. Cosby was arrested in the Constand case Dec. 30, 2015, just days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired, and went on trial in the criminal case in 2017.

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Bill Cosby Eyes Return to Comedy Touring in 2023

Vlada gelman, west coast editor.

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Bill Cosby is plotting a possible return to the stand-up comedy stage in 2023, the comedian and former TV star revealed during a Dec. 28 radio interview with WGH Talk host Scott Spears .

The announcement comes following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in June 2021 to overturn Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and his subsequent release from prison.

“When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” the 85-year-old comedian told Spears.

After being asked by Spears if he might tour in the new year, the onetime Cosby Show star replied, “Yes. Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it.”

A rep for Cosby confirmed to our sister site Variety that the comedian is eyeing a “spring/summer” start for his tour.

As previously reported, in June 2021, Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Cosby’s sexual assault conviction after it found that an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case, according to the Associated Press. Cosby was released from prison later the same day.

Cosby  released a statement following the decision: “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”

The overturned conviction came more than three years after Cosby was first convicted  in April 2018. Later that year, he was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison for three counts of sexual assault. He was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault after being accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in his Philadelphia home in 2004, and was registered for life as a sexually violent predator.

Cosby is currently facing a new sexual assault lawsuit , which was filed earlier this month against him and NBC by five women under a New York state law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations for older sexual assault claims.

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What do we have to do to stop this from happening?

Don’t Purchase tickets

You win best comment of 2022

It’s not our job to stop it from happening. The market will do that if he doesn’t sell tickets. Vote with your dollar please. The methods found in cancel culture only cause some people to satisfied in the short term, but voting with your dollar and trusting the market/ culture to play it’s course, is a much more effective long-term strategy. My prediction is that he’ll just cancel due to low ticket sales. And if it sells well, then I imagine that will open a conversation about what we tolerate in society, which can only be a positive thing.

Sammy, very well said

Wasn’t he so blind that he couldn’t possibly serve his prison sentence?

Yep. I will be very surprised if this actually ever comes to be.

He will be paying a fortune for security.

I’m sure Phylicia Rashad will be in the front row cheering for him and calling all his victims liars again.

Patricia Soudersim glad he got off

I sincerely hope you get the psychological help you so desperately need.

Violent sexual predators should not be allowed to perform under any circumstances. What a disgrace, how can he be trusted!?

Shut up you’re just one of those people who are delusional and stupid enough to believe any lie, those women told just so he can try to take his career down and take his money.

You’d be happy if he dated your daughter?

I don’t have kids, and choose not to.

You’d be happy if he dated your mom, your sister, your aunt, your best female friend?

Max sounds like a incel.

He is a serial rapist who disguises himself as a Hollywood Icon . He hides in the limelight and fame so you can’t see his evil. He is that rare serial stalker who became famous before we could see who he really is. Don’t look the other way…get the facts.

One of the most politically liberal courts in the country deemed his prosecution a violation of constitutional rights which means he spent three years in a prison for a crime he should never have been charged with, never mind convicted of. If our justice system says that he is not guilty, he deserves to be treated as such. Many in the African-American community still look up to him and believe he got raw deal. There is definitely an audience for his shows and he has every right to entertain his fans.

A legal procedural technicality is not exactly the same thing as being innocent.

I didn’t say he was innocent. That isn’t a term we use in our criminal justice system. What I said was that he is not guilty and that is what the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania decided. He should not have been prosecuted in the first place. There should never have been a criminal trial. And he certainly should not have spent three years in prison for a crime for which he should never have been charged. If there’s an injustice here, it was done to Mr. Cosby. If you want to call the Constitution a “legal procedural technicality”, that is up to you. It’s like saying cops who didn’t read Miranda and interrogated a suspect then got a conviction only committed a legal procedural technicality. No, they violated the Constitution.

CNN — The Supreme Court limited the ability to enforce Miranda rights in a ruling Thursday that said that suspects who are not warned about their right to remain silent cannot sue a police officer for damages under federal civil rights law even if the evidence was ultimately used against them in their criminal trial.

That is about getting $ in a civil suit against the police if the do not read Miranda. It does nothing to change the requirement that police must read Miranda warnings to people in custody before interrogation. If they don’t warn, then question, and the suspect confesses to a crime, the confession will never be heard by a jury and the person may end up going free based on a legal procedural technicality. That’s a constitutional right just like the one violated against Mr. Cosby when they charged him after promising not to.

Janice, with all do respect, you don’t know what you are talking about. He was convicted, in part, because he admitted in a deposition that he sexually assaulted women. He gave the deposition because of assurances he received from the district attorney at that time that he would not be charged with any crime. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction finding that the district attorney in effect granted him immunity and his deposition could not be used against him. Based on his own admissions, he did not spend enough time in jail.

Next you’re gonna tell me OJ’s innocent.

What does OJ have to do with Bill Cosby?

They both committed their crimes.

But different Crimes. Why not compare Cosby with a convicted rapist like Harvey Weinstein? Seems to be a better comparison.

I hope everyone boycotts this monster. He belongs in jail

If I wanted to listen to someone that sexual assaults women, I’d go to a Trump rally for free.

This guy? In 2023? Good luck with that. And please, no alcohol and/or pudding pops.

I can’t say how I feel about this or I’ll get my account banned.

Once again, lawyers prove that few things are as plastic as law left in the hands of the legal industry. Creating loopholes and killing ‘justice’ pays well. Hocus pocus and mumbo jumbo takes the front seat.

What venue (s) could possibly want the bad press and negative attention such a tour is likely to generate?

Sadly, probably a lot

He’s innocent

Did you let Michael Jackson babysit your kids?

Or visit the local landfill. it’s free.

Nothing says date night like tickets to a Cosby show

Cosby’s still loyal fans will show up for his stand-up performances, while protesters will picket outside each venue. That’s the reality, take it or leave it.

Tickets sales may not be worth it to the clubs versus the cost and headache of extra security…

If a tour even becomes a reality, Cosby probably won’t find it a good experience. I’m predicting it will be short, suffer from poor ticket sales and mainly get cancelled.

If he does go on tour (a pretty big if I grant you), I just know that he’s going to tour my neck of the woods (upper northeastern Ohio), and I just know our city will be the one place he sells out. Not proud of that fact, just saying.

Oh ffs boycott that creep

Why was my previous comment removed? Is it because I called TVLine out for giving an abuser a platform?

My comment was censored too. TVLine must have hired some of the fired Twitter moderators. They’re super quick to delete anything that goes against their narratives.

All I said was that Mr. Cosby has lots of support in the African American community and that there will be no problem selling tickets to his shows. A lot of people believe he was wronged by a white prosecutor who caved into political pressure to go after a successful outspoken black man, which is all too common, after an earlier prosecutor granted him immunity. He spent 3 years in prison for something he should never have been charged with. That’s the real injustice here.

Interesting how you say he spent three years in prison for something he should never have been charged with. You don’t seem at all concerned that he confessed to a truly heinous crime, just that he was granted immunity which was then taken. —— One might think the real injustice happened to the women Cosby admitted he gave drugs to to coerce them into sex. Not to the rapist for going to prison for their crime. But oh no, boo-hoo to the poor man who abused his reputation to get in as many pants as he could.

You don’t have a problem with someone being charged decades after the aleged crime was committed and after multiple prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to charge him? States have statutes of limitations for a reason. Evidence is no longer fresh. Memories fade. Witnesses die. Any woman who was victimized by Mr. Cosby could have gone to the police to press charges within the appropriate time limit set by law. To do so decades later is fundamentally unfair. In this case, it was also unconstitutional because he was promised he would not be prosecuted by the state so he waived his right to remain silent. The state then reneged on that deal because it was politically popular to do so. Just another black man screwed by the system.

THIS is a joke, right?

Venues might be hard to secure.

He is guilty…he got out on a technicality! Still cannot believe it! Too many women have the same story …. I mean yes there have been times people have lied,,,this is not one of these times with all the women!

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Bill Cosby is planning a return to the stage. Cosby appeared on the  Now With Scott Spears  talk radio show Wednesday where he shared his plans for a comedy tour in 2023. 

"Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do," Cosby said, confirming his plans to hit the road. "Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it."

Cosby's publicist, Andrew Wyatt confirmed the news, telling ET, "We’re looking at getting back out here around Spring/Summer of 2023."

His return to comedy comes after the 85-year-old actor's  2018 sexual assault conviction  for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, was  overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court  in June 2021.

Cosby's last comedy tour came in 2015, which saw him performing at venues across North America. Those performances were not without controversy, as many were met with protests and eventual cancellations after nearly two dozen women came forward to accuse Cosby of sexual assault.

Cosby maintained his innocence at the time. He was later arrested in Dec. 2015 and went on trial for the criminal case in 2017.

Civil proceedings regarding the sexual abuse allegations against the comedian restarted in June 2022 , with ultimately determining that Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975.

Per the  Associated Press , the jury delivered their verdict  in favor of plaintiff Judy Huth , now 64, and awarded her $500,000.

Cosby has denied the allegations.

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Bill Cosby Eyes Return to Touring in 2023

The 85-year-old is planning to tour in the spring/summer of next year

Bill Cosby is looking to make a comedy comeback with a tour in 2023 after being released from prison in 2021 following an overturned sexual assault conviction.

When asked by WGH Talk radio host Scott Spears during a Wednesday interview if 2023 would be the year that he could finally return to the stage, the 85-year-old actor and comedian replied: “Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do.”

Representative Andrew Wyatt confirmed to TheWrap that Cosby is looking to tour “around Spring/Summer of 2023.”

In April 2018, Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in Pennsylvania. He was later released from prison in 2021 after the ruling was overturned by the state’s Supreme Court.

A new lawsuit was filed earlier this month against Cosby, NBCUniversal Media, Kaufman Astoria Studios and The Carsey-Werner Company by five women who allege he either raped or forced them to engage in sexual acts. Four of the allegations date back to the late 1980s and early 1990s when “The Cosby Show” aired. The fifth allegation comes from former Hollywood executive Cindra Ladd, who has accused Cosby of raping her in 1969.

“The reality of my situation gets clearer and clearer,” Cosby told Spears during the interview. “The reality that my wife and family and friends respect me and respect what I have tried to do and will continue to do when we ‘get out of this mess.’ I know who my enemies happen to be. And I know why they are my enemies. And I think all told up, as you would say where we are, where we’re going, I respect people like you and others who have had a clear viewpoint of what has happened to me. The people like you and others have found no problem in looking at the situation. And I appreciate you and all others who understand the situation. And when I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience in person knows me to be.”

“As we have always stated, and now America can see, this isn’t about justice for victims of alleged sexual assault, it’s ALL ABOUT MONEY,” Wyatt claimed in a statement to TheWrap. “We believe that the courts, as well as the court of public opinion, will follow the rules of law and relieve Mr. Cosby of these alleged accusations. Mr. Cosby continues to vehemently deny all allegation waged against him and looks forward to defending himself in court.”

A representative for NBC declined to comment.

Bill Cosby Is Considering A Comeback Tour In 2023 And People Aren't Happy

Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is looking to give live comedy another shot and hopes to “be the Bill Cosby” audiences know him as, following a since-thrown out sexual assault conviction and a three-year prison stint.

He told “WGH Talk” host Scott Spears on Wednesday that he believes he’ll tour next year, according to Variety .

Cosby was convicted of a criminal sexual assault charge in 2018, a conviction that was later overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021. He continues to face legal troubles as recently as this month, however, as five women ― including two featured in “ The Cosby Show ” ― filed a lawsuit accusing him of instances of sexual assault between approximately 1969 and 1990 .

The legal woes don’t appear to deter him from stepping away from the stage.

Cosby, in response to a question on whether he’d tour in 2023, said he’s considering a comeback.

“Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it.”

The comedian is “looking at spring/summer to start touring,” Andrew Wyatt, a Cosby representative, told Variety.

“When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” Cosby said.

The possibility of Cosby, who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, going back on the road to tell jokes did not sit well with Twitter users.

You are one sick mf if you buy a ticket to see Bill Cosby on tour in 2023. https://t.co/vmwFQZufnP — Johnny Akzam (@JohnnyAkzam) December 28, 2022

They were showing Bill Cosby shuffling into court like Weinstein and now fool's gonna go on tour? The fuck? pic.twitter.com/99xj21jhC3 — Jocelyn stands with 🇺🇦 (@jossytweets) December 28, 2022

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Bill Cosby can go all the way away now. — JRGin (@GinRumMe) December 28, 2022

All of us when Bill Cosby tour tickets go on sale pic.twitter.com/FH6ogowbjt — Pizza Dad (@Pizza__Dad) December 28, 2022

The Bill Cosby tour should have Elon Musk as the booing warm-up act — TrivWorks (@TrivWorks) December 29, 2022

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Bill Cosby plans to tour in 2023 following release from prison for sexual assault charges

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Bill Cosby has vowed to return to the stage next year following his release from prison.

The disgraced comedian was convicted for sexual assault charges in 2018  and spent two years in prison after a highly-publicised trial.

Last year, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court then overturned his conviction, and he was released.

Looking to the future, the 85-year-old has now shared the ‘fun’ he plans to have by hitting the road in 2023.

Speaking during a radio interview on WGH Talk with host Scott Spears, Cosby answered with a resounding ‘yes’ when quizzed on whether next year is the year he tours again.

‘When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,’ he said.

‘There’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do,’ Cosby continued.

‘Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found it was better to say it after I write it.’

Andrew Wyatt, a representative for Cosby, later confirmed to Variety that the comedian is ‘looking at spring/summer to start touring’.

Cosby then echoed his earlier excitement on Twitter, replying to a New York Post article on his touring plans.

‘It’s true!,’ he began. ‘I’m blessed to be able to do my craft for others. Hope to see you in 2023!’

However, it’s not looking likely that his venues will sell out in a hurry, as social media users expressed confusion.

‘Good luck with that buddy,’ one person tweeted sarcastically.

‘Who in their right mind would buy a ticket to that,’ asked another.

Cosby has always maintained his innocence after being accused of sexual assault by dozens of women.

Following his release from jail, he thanked his supporters who ‘stood by me’ throughout the ‘ordeal’, which saw allegations span from 1965 to 2008.

However, at the time of his release, allegations from Andrea Constand were the only ones that resulted in criminal charges, after she came forward with claims of an assault at his home in 2004.

During his incarceration, Cosby  resisted sex offender programs , refusing to take part or acknowledge wrongdoing, even if it meant he would have to serve his full sentence.

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MORE : Bill Cosby to have party to celebrate a year since he was released from prison

MORE : Bill Cosby sexually assaulted a teenager at Playboy Mansion, jury finds

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Bill Cosby plans 2023 comedy tour after overturned sexual assault conviction

The comedian's sexual assault conviction was overturned in 2021 after he served nearly three years in prison.

Never-before-seen video of Bill Cosby after he was released from prison in 2021

Bill Cosby's publicist and crisis manager Andrew Wyatt released video on June 30, 2022, of the actor's reaction to getting out of prison last year. (TMX contributed to this story.)

Bill Cosby plans to start touring again next year following his release from prison in 2021, his representative Andrew Wyatt confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

The comedian told radio host Scott Spears in a surprise appearance Wednesday on "WGH Talk" that he wants to get back to stand-up over the next year when asked if he felt it was time.

Cosby was convicted of sexual assault and served nearly three years in prison before it was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021.

He previously canceled a tour in 2021 over legal concerns. Cosby last performed in 2018 before his conviction. 

HOW DID BILL COSBY'S CONVICTION OVERTURN HAPPEN? LEGAL EXPERTS WEIGH IN

Bill Cosby said he plans on returning to stand-up in 2023. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Earlier this year, five Cosby accusers sued him under a New York law that puts a temporarily halt to the statute of limitations on abuse allegations. 

Lili Bernard, Eden Tirl, Jewel Gittens, Jennifer Thompson and Cindra Ladd allege in the suit that Cosby abused or assaulted them between the late 1960s through the 1990s at the height of his fame. 

Earlier this year, a Los Angeles jury awarded $500,000 to a woman who said Cosby sexually abused her at the Playboy Mansion when she was a teenager in 1975.

Bill Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018, but the verdict was overturned last year. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

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"The reality of my situation gets clearer and clearer," Cosby told Spears on Wednesday. "The reality that my wife and family and friends respect me and respect what I have tried to do and will continue to do when we quote unquote ‘get out of this mess.’ I know who my enemies happen to be and I know why they are my enemies, and I think all told up, as you would say, where we are, where we’re going, I respect people like [Spears] and others who have had a clear viewpoint of what has happened to me." 

Bill Cosby accusers Victoria Valentino, right, Caroline Heldman, left, and Lili Bernard react after hearing he was found guilty on all accounts in his 2018 trial. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

He added, "When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience in person knows me to be." 

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After Spears asked him if 2023 would be the right time to start performing, he answered, "Yes. Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do." 

Fox News' Larry Fink contributed to this report.

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Bill Cosby plans 2023 return to doing stand-up, despite new sexual assault accusations

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Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is eyeing a return to performing in 2023, despite recent accusations of sexual assault from multiple women.

In a 15-minute interview with Marion, Ohio, internet radio station WWGH , the 85-year-old said he feels like he’ll be able to “perform and be the ‘Bill Cosby’ that my audience, in-person, knows me to be.”

When host Scott Spears asked whether 2023 would be the year for Cosby’s return, the comic said, “Yes. Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do.”

Once known as “America’s Dad,” Cosby has been eyeing a return to comedy since the days leading up to his 2018 sexual assault trial in Pennsylvania. He has long maintained his innocence.

Entertainment & Arts

Jury finds Bill Cosby sexually abused teen in the 1970s, orders him to pay $500,000

The jury in Bill Cosby’s civil trial with Judy Huth, who had accused the comedian of sexually assaulting her in the 1970s, reached a verdict Tuesday.

June 21, 2022

Cosby was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand , a former university basketball official, at his mansion near Philadelphia in 2004. More than 50 other women had also accused Cosby of a similar pattern of drugging and assaulting them.

However, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s conviction in 2021 due to an earlier nonprosecution agreement. In 2005, Bruce Castor, a former district attorney in Montgomery County, promised he would not prosecute Cosby , in hopes of getting the comedian to testify in a civil trial around a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Constand. The Pennsylvania court ruled that prosecutors in the 2018 case must honor the previous promise. The rare reversal meant Cosby was freed from prison .

Within months of his release in 2021, Cosby appeared on the same WWGH online radio show , where he told Spears he would consider a return to performing based on feedback and response from audiences.

Since then, Cosby has continued to face additional sexual assault accusations from other women. This last June, a civil jury in Santa Monica decided Cosby was liable for sexually abusing a teenage Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion in the mid-1970s, He was ordered to pay Huth $500,000.

Bill Cosby accused of sexual assault by 5 women, including two ‘Cosby Show’ actors

Five women, including two “Cosby Show” actors, have filed a sexual assault lawsuit against disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, NBC and TV companies.

Dec. 6, 2022

In her civil lawsuit , filed in 2014, Huth accused Cosby of giving her alcohol and taking her to the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when she was 16. Huth said Cosby, who was in his late 30s at the time, attempted to put his hand down her pants. After she told him she was on her period, he put her hand on his erect penis and used it to masturbate, she said. Huth said she didn’t give him consent.

Earlier this month, five women — including “Cosby Show” actors Lili Bernard and Eden Tirl — filed a separate sexual assault lawsuit against Cosby and NBCUniversal Media, Kaufman Astoria Studios and the Carsey-Werner Co., which together ran the show from 1984 to 1992.

The 34-page lawsuit details multiple, separate instances of alleged rape and drugging by Cosby throughout the 1960s and into the ’90s. Several of the defendants alleged that Cosby had placed an “intoxicant” in their beverages and raped them. The allegations were consistent with those by women who had previously spoken out against Cosby.

The suit — filed under New York’s new Adult Survivors Act , which gives survivors of sexual assault one year to sue their alleged abusers, even if the statute of limitations has expired — alleges that Cosby threatened to “blacklist” one of the plaintiffs if she resisted his forceful sexual advances or spoke out against his behavior.

Timeline of Bill Cosby sexual assault scandal: Full coverage of allegations, trial

A timeline of our coverage of the allegations against the star, from their resurfacing in late 2014 to the overturning of his conviction on Wednesday.

June 30, 2021

During Wednesday’s interview, radio host Spears avoided conversation about Cosby’s legal cases or the latest accusations against him, instead asking questions about the holidays with family, education, technology and new year‘s resolutions.

When addressing his desire to return to comedy, Cosby alluded to his continued legal issues, saying that he has felt “respect” from his friends, family and Spears, for “what I have tried to do and will continue to do when we, quote-unquote, get out of this mess.”

One caller who phoned in after the interview voiced displeasure with the show’s decision to host Cosby. The caller was at first confused about the comedian’s release from prison, asking, “Was he the one spiking those ladies drinks and raping them?”

“That was the accusation,” Spears responded. “You know, I don’t think we ever know what is true and what is false.”

A new Bill Cosby docuseries nearly drove its director to quit. The struggle paid off

W. Kamau Bell’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’ is a compelling, complicated wrestling match with the legacy of the cultural icon and alleged rapist.

Jan. 22, 2022

The host went on to clarify that Cosby had been released in 2021.

“Before, when you’ve had him on, I turn him off,” the caller said. “It’s like [Jeffrey] Epstein and [Harvey] Weinstein ... When they do that, I don’t listen. I don’t give ’em a platform, ’cause if you do something like that ... I have no interest in it, there’s nothing I want to hear from him.”

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Bill Cosby eyeing 2023 comedy tour after release from prison

By CBS News Philadelphia Staff

December 29, 2022 / 12:55 PM EST / CBS Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Disgraced comedian and Philadelphia native Bill Cosby may be heading back on stage.

During a surprise radio interview Wednesday, Cosby hinted at plans to take his comedy on the road in 2023. 

Cosby's spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, told Variety that Cosby is thinking about a spring or summer tour. 

The 85-year-old spent nearly 3 years in prison after a sexual assault conviction .

He said on the show "Now With Scott Spears" that he has the support of his family and friends.

Asked if 2023 could be the year he returns to the stage, Cosby said "yes."

"When we quote-unquote get out of this mess, I know who my enemies happen to be and I know why they are my enemies. ... I respect people like you and others who have had a clear viewpoint of what has happened to me," Cosby told Spears. "They have found no problem with looking at the situation."

"And when I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience in person knows me to be," Cosby added.

Pennsylvania's highest court found that Cosby believed he had a nonprosecution agreement with a former district attorney when he gave damaging testimony in the accuser's 2005 lawsuit. That testimony later led to his arrest in 2015.  

Then the conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court.

Cosby still faces legal troubles.

Five women recently filed new sexual assault lawsuits against him in New York. 

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Front page of the New York Daily News on July 1, 2021: Court tosses Cosby conviction for sexual abuse. Accuser rages as he leaves Pa. jail. Bill Cosby celebrates release from Pennsylvania prison on Wednesday. Inset, Cosby accuser Andrea Constand (left) with prosecutor Kristen Feden outside court in 2018.

Matt Rourke/AP

FILE - Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing following his sexual assault conviction at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Pa., on Sept. 25, 2018.

The 85-year-old comic, who was released from prison last year after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed his conviction on a sexual assault charge, told a radio interviewer Wednesday he was ready to perform again.

“When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” Cosby said on “WGH Talk” with Scott Spears, after answering “yes” to the question of whether he’d tour again.

“Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do,” Cosby said, according to Variety.

Cosby served three years in prison after his April 2018 conviction on a criminal sex assault charge before his 2021 release.

He still has legal troubles — five women sued him and NBC earlier this month under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York State law that lifts the statute of limitations for one year. Their accusations mirror those of his previous alleged victims: that he drugged and assaulted them.

Before the law went into effect, all of Cosby’s accusers were past the statute of limitations except Andrea Constand, whose accusations Cosby drugged and molested her in his Pennsylvania home dated back to 2004. His initial conviction got him sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison, but it was thrown out on a technicality.

In all, 60 women have accused Cosby of everything from groping to sexual assault and rape, dating back to the 1960s. He has denied having nonconsensual sex. In June he was found liable for sexual abuse and ordered to pay $500,000 to a California woman who had filed suit in 2014 saying Cosby had assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, when she was 16 .

The current lawsuit, filed on Dec. 5, also includes as defendants NBCUniversal Media, LLC, Kaufman Astoria Studios and The Carsey-Werner Company. The suit asserts that the companies “condoned and encouraged Bill Cosby… by doing nothing to stop it despite knowledge of his serial sexual abuse of women, and by providing Bill Cosby with staff and facilities to groom and sexually abuse women.”

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Bill Cosby considering comedy tour return 2 years after conviction overturned

Cosby served nearly three years in prison before his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania state supreme court.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Bill Cosby is looking to get back on the stage in 2023, following his sexual assault conviction being overturned and his release from prison last year.

During a surprise radio interview Wednesday on "WGH Talk" with host Scott Spears, Cosby answered "yes" when asked if 2023 is the year he might finally be able to tour again.

"Yes. Yes, because there's so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do. Years ago, maybe 10 years ago, I found that it was better to say it after I write it," Cosby said.

Andrew Wyatt, a representative for the 85-year-old Cosby, confirmed to Variety that the comedian is considering a tour beginning in the spring or summer.

A Montgomery County jury found Cosby guilty of aggravated indecent assault at his Cheltenham home in 2018.

He served nearly three years before his conviction was overturned by the state supreme court in June 2021 , ordering his release from prison.

"When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience in person knows me to be," Cosby said.

Earlier this month, five women recently filed new sexual assault lawsuits against Cosby under a New York law that temporarily suspends the statute of limitations for older sexual assault claims.

Wyatt called the lawsuits "frivolous" and said the women were part of a "parade of accusers" who previously came forward.

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Bill Cosby plans to tour in 2023 even as he faces a new sexual assault lawsuit

Bill Cosby, who was convicted in 2018 of sexually assaulting a woman, plans to start touring next year. The news comes just weeks after five women filed another sexual assault lawsuit against the 85-year-old comedian.

Cosby's publicist and crisis manager, Andrew Wyatt, told NPR on Thursday that the tour is tentatively scheduled to occur "roughly around spring, summer or late summer" of 2023.

"We have so many — I mean, hundreds of thousands of supporters just asking for him to do a show," Wyatt said. "We have so many promoters across the country. He is in high demand."

Nearly 60 women originally came forward to accuse Cosby of sexually assaulting them in recent years, following the #MeToo movement. The national movement — which sought to hold abusers in the entertainment industry accountable for sexual harassment and assault — led to a sexual assault trial against Cosby.

In 2018, a Pennsylvania jury found Cosby guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually violating a woman in his Cheltenham, Pa., home in 20o4. He was sentenced to at least three years , but in 2021 Cosby was released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court vacated his conviction.

Earlier this month, five women — including two actors from The Cosby Show — filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Cosby using a new New York law, known as the Adult Survivors Act, which lets victims sue abusers even after the statute of limitations expires .

Wyatt told NPR that he does not think the pending lawsuit will affect Cosby's planned tour.

"People have looked at the allegations, they've looked at the information, and it's a money grab," Wyatt said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Adult Survivors Act in May, creating a yearlong window for adult victims to sue their abusers for sexual assault, regardless of when the assault occurred. In 2019, the state enacted the Child Victims Act, a similar law for child sexual assault victims.

"The fight against sexual assault requires us to recognize the impact of trauma within our justice system," Hochul said, after signing the Adult Survivors Act into law. "I am proud to sign this legislation, which is part of our collective responsibility to protect one another and create an environment that makes survivors feel safe."

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Breaking news, bill cosby plans comeback tour after sexual abuse accusations, downfall.

This isn’t a joke.

Bill Cosby is planning his return in 2023, he revealed in a radio interview on Wednesday.

The embattled comedian answered “yes” when “WGH Talk” host Scott Spears asked if he would return to comedy in the coming year.

The 85-year-old was convicted of a criminal sexual assault charge in April 2018 as 60 women came forward and accused him of assault. In the Pennsylvania trial, he was found guilty of drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand in his Philadelphia home back in 2004.

Following a short stint in prison, he was released in 2021 after his conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court.

“When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” Cosby said on the radio show Wednesday, adding that there is “so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do.”

Andrew Wyatt, a representative for Cosby, told Variety that the comedian is eyeing the spring and summer seasons to begin his comedy tour. The surprising news comes a year after Cosby claimed to be working on a television show and book .

The coincidental timing of his tour announcement comes as five women recently filed a sexual assault lawsuit against both NBC and Bill Cosby. Earlier this month, the women — Lili Bernard, Eden Tirl, Jewel Gittens, Jennifer Thompson and Cindra Ladd — claimed in court documents that Cosby either raped them or forced them to perform sexual acts when they were younger.

Four of the accusers alleged the abuse happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s while the actor was the star of NBC’s “The Cosby Show,” and the fifth accuser, former Hollywood executive Ladd, alleged the comedian raped her in 1969. In the suit, the five women claimed Cosby “sexually abused, assaulted and battered many women,” including them.

The lawsuit was filed under a New York state law — the Adult Survivors Act — that temporarily suspends the statutes of limitations for sexual assault claims, allowing decades-old crimes to hold up in court.

Wyatt described the suit as “frivolous,” according to Variety, adding that the five women involved were members of the “parade of accusers” who previously came forward between 2014 and 2016 when Cosby was first outed.

But that’s not all — there have been numerous lawsuits and accusations against the comedy star.

Earlier this year, Cosby was the defendant in another trial in Santa Monica, California, during which he was accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl in the Playboy Mansion in 1975.

Judy Huth, who filed the lawsuit, claimed Cosby forced her to perform a sex act on him when she was just 16. The civil trial jury found Cosby guilty — despite his insistence that he’s innocent — and awarded Huth $500,000 in June.

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Bill Cosby planning to go on comedy tour following prison release, rep says

The spokesperson of the recently-freed convicted sexual assaulter told TMZ “the world wants to see Mr. Cosby.”

Convicted sexual assaulter Bill Cosby is reportedly planning to go on a stand-up comedy tour after the 83-year-old’s sudden, recent release from a Pennsylvania prison.

Cosby’s longtime spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt , told TMZ “the world wants to see Mr. Cosby.”

Wyatt is reportedly leading efforts to book Cosby at comedy clubs across the nation. Additionally, Cosby is planning a five-part docuseries that will explore his life, his legacy as a television icon and his trial and experience in prison, the outlet reported.

Interviews with many of his family and friends have already been conducted, according to TMZ, and following his release from State Correctional Institution Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on June 30, the iconic yet disgraced entertainer will soon record his segments.

TMZ is reporting that in addition to comedy clubs across the nation, Cosby will also make appearances at prisons and schools to talk to people about “being better citizens and curbing violence.”

Wyatt told the gossip site that the comedian was inspired by the stories he heard while spending the last three years in prison for decades-old sexual assault charges. He is also reportedly working on a book.

The creator of the legendary Black sitcoms The Cosby Show and A Different World , Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison in 2018 after being found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. He served nearly three years before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned Cosby’s conviction, ruling that a “non-prosecution agreement” with then-Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor meant he should not have been charged.

After part of the deposition in the Constand case was made public, dozens came forward with similar drugging-then-sexual-assault accusations against Cosby — 60 women in total, famed model Beverly Johnson and actresses Michelle Hurd and Lili Bernard among them.

Since his prison release late last month, Cosby has continued to make headlines. He released a statement on Twitter, saying, “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence,. Thank you to all my fans, supporters, and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”

Additionally, Cosby tweeted his support of former Cosby Show co-star Phylicia Rashad , who showed her joy at his release on Twitter, where she wrote, “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted – a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” The post was accompanied by a photo of Cosby holding up his fist.

I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law. #BillCosby pic.twitter.com/bxELvJWDe5 — Bill Cosby (@BillCosby) June 30, 2021

The viral tweet earned the actress and newly-named dean of the Howard University College of Fine Arts significant backlash.

Cosby pushed back, tweeting, “Howard University you must support ones Freedom of Speech (Ms. Rashad), which is taught or suppose to be taught everyday at that renowned law school, which resides on your campus.”

His Twitter message was posted on the Fourth of July, when Cosby also wrote, “This (sic) mainstream media are the Insurrectionists, who stormed the Capitol. Those same Media Insurrectionists are trying to demolish the Constitution of these United State of America on this Independence Day.”

Rashad later issued a statement in which she offered support to victims of sexual assault. She will reportedly undergo sensitivity training from the HBCU.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku . Download theGrio.com today!

The post Bill Cosby planning to go on comedy tour following prison release, rep says appeared first on TheGrio .

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Cosby faces fresh allegations from ten women after Nevada lifted statute of limitations for sexual violence claims.

Bill Cosby is facing new allegations from ten additional women after a judge in Las Vegas allowed their lawsuit to proceed. 

The lawsuit follows Nevada’s recent decision to lift the statute of limitations for civil claims by survivors of sexual violence.

US District Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed Cosby’s claims that the new law violated his due process rights. Cosby, 87, also argued that the law unfairly targeted a select group, but this was rejected. 

Judge Navarro stated, "SB 129 was not enacted to punish perpetrators of sexual assault, but instead to compensate survivors and foster healing."

Although Nevada law does not have a specific civil claim for sexual assault, the women have accused Cosby of rape and drugging. Their claims for assault, emotional distress, battery, and false imprisonment are not restricted by the new statute.

Cosby, who denies all allegations, was the first major celebrity tried and convicted during the #MeToo era, before his conviction was overturned and he was released from prison in 2021. 

Over 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct, with several filing lawsuits under laws like Nevada’s and New York’s Adult Survivors Act.

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What will become of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ musical legacy? Experts weigh in following his indictment

FILE -Sean 'Diddy' Combs participates in "The Four" panel during the FOX Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 4, 2018. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)[Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Richard Shotwell]

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, but his indictment Tuesday on sex trafficking and racketeering charges further clouds his legacy. For some, it may change their relationship to his music.

The indictment, detailing allegations dating back to 2008, accuses him of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”

Some experts believe the severity of the crimes may tarnish his career moving forward.

“The chance to just be looked at strictly in musical terms, and that being the defining part of his legacy, is pretty much gone,” says Peter A. Berry, a music journalist with work in XXL and Complex.

“I’m not sure you can play ‘Mo Money, Mo Problems’ at the barbeque now,” he says. “You can’t look at Diddy’s music in a vacuum the same way you did before.

“He’s gone from this aspirational, go-getting music industry legend to essentially, arguably, the Bill Cosby of hip-hop.”

Berry views Combs indictment as “a continuation of a reckoning for the rap world,” which includes sexual misconduct allegations leveled at Russell Simmons by multiple women, as well as R&B-singer R Kelly who is serving a 30-year prison sentence for using his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were just children, in a systematic scheme that went on for decades.

Sowmya Krishnamurthy, music journalist and author of “Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion,” sees it differently.

“It’s always a question of — are fans going to separate the person from the art? Are you able to differentiate the good musical contribution somebody has made, the artists they’ve introduced us to, the hit songs they’ve given us, the soundtrack to our lives versus what’s going on in their personal life, the legal issues that they’re facing?” she asks.

“When it comes to Puff, very similar to a lot of incredibly talented, successful but problematic men, I do think many fans will be able to differentiate the two.”

She says you can still expect to hear Diddy’s music out in the world — the records he made, produced, released and beyond — but the effects will be felt elsewhere.

“We’re not going to see his music synced in TV shows and films. You’re not going to see his music being synced, for example, in commercials,” she says.

As for streaming platforms: “As long as people keep streaming records, watching music videos and supporting it behind the scenes, I think a lot of companies have no problem quietly profiting,” she adds.

Combs is one of the best-known music executives, producers and performers across hip-hop, having won three Grammys and worked with artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112. He founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, the influential fashion line Sean John, a vodka brand and the Revolt TV network. He sold off his stake in the latter company in June of this year.

In the ‘00s, he was a producer on MTV’s reality television series “Making the Band,” and “Making His Band,” launching the careers of artists like the girl group Danity Kane while embodying a kind of temperamental, “grandiose television personality,” A.D. Carson, associate professor of hip-hop at University of Virginia points out.

“Does MTV stop running those shows if they’re running in syndication?” he asks. “No company that’s making money off of something that they produce is going to willingly give up that money.

“I don’t think anybody who’s still committed to listening to Diddy’s music in 2024 is going to be convinced by this indictment to stop listening to it in the same way that somebody who is, you know, listening to R. Kelly in 2024,” he adds.

Diddy hasn’t consistently released new solo music the last two decades. Carson theorizes that might make it easier for others to stop playing his records. “The easiest place to boycott is a place that you were never going to patronize anyway.”

It has been 17 years since Combs had a top 10 hit — 2007’s “Last Night” featuring Keisha Cole hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Still, his career and cultural contributions continue to be celebrated. In 2022, Combs received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards. Last year, he performed at the MTV VMAs and released his fifth studio album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” his first new album since 2006 chart-topping “Press Play.”

“The Love Album” was nominated for best progressive R&B album at the Grammy Awards. Combs did not attend.

“This time last year, Diddy was being handed a key to the city,” Berry points out. “Now he’s being indicted.”

The lawsuits Combs faces began in November 2023, when singer Cassie Ventura sued him for alleging years of sexual abuse including rape. (New York State’s Adult Survivors Act, enacted in 2022, allows victims to file beyond certain statute of limitations.)

In June, video that appeared to show Combs attacking Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016 surfaced, resulting in public outcry. Howard University cut ties with Combs, rescinding an honorary degree that was awarded to him and disbanding a scholarship program in his name as a result. Combs returned his key to New York City after a request from Mayor Eric Adams in response to the video. And in December, Billboard reported that a forthcoming Hulu reality show following Combs and his family was no longer in production.

So, what does that say of his career?

“I do think that certain accolades, you know, industry awards, I could see them being rescinded,” says Krishnamurthy. “But who knows what the future holds. And I do think as time goes on, sometimes the effect is that people do look at the past with rose-colored glasses or it becomes easier to remove ourselves from the negativity and focus on the music and the good times.”

“I think Diddy is basically canceled,” says Berry. “I don’t see him making a comeback.”

“His music is too great to ignore,” he adds. “A good amount of people will still play it. But they’re going to get a side-eye.”

“My hope is that folks don’t use Diddy example to scapegoat hip-hop, because this isn’t a problem that’s unique to hip hop,” says Carson.

Additionally, he says “we focus a lot of attention on the legacy on the people who did the harm. The more responsible thing to ask is: What do reparations look like for the people who were harmed?”

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

College football fans are already starting to foot the bill for their athletes getting paid

• Some college football fans will soon be helping pay their favorite student-athletes.
• The University of Tennessee is adding 10% talent fee to 2025 football tickets to compensate athletes.
• The fee covers about a third of the university's total expense to pay players.

In the new age of college football revenue sharing, the cost of paying student-athletes is already being passed off — at least in part — to fans.

The University of Tennessee announced in an email to Tennessee Volunteers fans on Tuesday that, beginning with 2025 football season ticket renewals, all football tickets will include a 10% "talent fee" that will go toward paying players.

"As the collegiate model changes, we have to remain flexible," UT's athletics director Danny White said in a video explaining the reasons for the price hike. "That connection between resources and competitiveness has never been tighter. Only now, we have the ability to share these resources with our athletes. We can generate revenue that will go directly to our players."

On top of the 10% talent fee, the university also announced that 2025 ticket prices will be increasing 4.5% per seat on average.

That means tickets will shoot up a total of 14.5% on average in 2025.

"We want to be a leader in college sports. That means we want to be a leader in revenue sharing," White said.

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But football fans aren't footing the entire cost of revenue sharing — only a portion of it. A spokesperson for UT told BI that the talent fee will help cover about 33% of the total cost of paying players. The university will be fronting the remainder of the annual $22 million revenue-sharing pool to pay athletes, Knox News reported .

UT's spokesperson said the decision was made in preparation for the settlement of the House v. NCAA federal antitrust case , which could go into effect as early as July 2025.

Last May, the NCAA and five major conferences agreed on a revenue-sharing model that would pay student-athletes a portion of the revenue their colleges make from ticket sales, broadcast deals, and merch bearing an athlete's name, image, and likeness (known as NIL).

But that deal has since gone back into negotiations after the judge overseeing the case paused preliminary approval.

"We are also preparing for additional financial aid, potential compliance, marketing, and other resource development costs that are directly or indirectly associated with the proposed House model," the UT spokesperson told BI in an email. "These include new scholarships, taxes, fair market value assessment, reporting, and other unknown business and legal assessments that may be required."

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