Cosby's Latest Response To Assault Claims

Did you hear the one about the comedian who remained calm when publicly accused of rape by an audience member in a theater? That is the case with Bill Cosby during his Baltimore show on March 27, and the punchline is that this is still no laughing matter. The comedian continues to perform stand-up at venues all around the nation despite being accused by multiple women of sexual abuse, and his reaction at the Baltimore show is the latest in Cosby's bizarre responses to the claims against him. Previously, Cosby made it clear that he would not comment on the claims through a statement from his lawyer.

According to Baltimore's City Paper, audience member Michael M. Crook shouted, "38 women called you a rapist!" just 15 minutes into the disgraced comedian's set. Crook later added, "Tell the one about how to get away with rape." In response, which was caught on video, Cosby said to fans, “Just remain calm. We are here to enjoy my gift. We are not here to argue. Let those people speak. We will find them and ask them to leave.”

Seeing as Cosby has reportedly had other odd responses to the accusations, such as allegedly telling one audience member, "You have to be careful drinking around me," during a January performance, it is not surprising that he would respond to a heckler this way. But just because it is not surprising does not mean we should stop talking about Cosby's reactions and the claims against him. This should give us even more incentive to keep talking, since it keeps happening.

After all, if we stop talking about Cosby's style of response to these serious allegations, there is the danger of the story fading into the woodwork of our 24/7 news cycle and people slowing their attempts to get any real answers. True, there are plenty of other alleged crimes out there that need to be addressed by the media. It's not like Cosby is the only one out there who has been accused of such acts. But without question, Cosby is one of the highest-profile Americans in recent years to be accused by this many women of such terrible acts. His non-response responses speak volumes about where his priorities lie, and they are not with providing any actual answers. Hence why people like Crook try to get them.

For Crook's part, he was ejected from the show by security shortly after he began shouting. He later said to City Paper, "I stood up to Bill Cosby tonight because I believe the 38 women who have come forward so far to accuse him of raping them. I can't speak for those women, but I am determined to stand up with them and tell Mr. Cosby that he cannot simply avoid answering for those crimes."

Until real answers are given, the questions must still be asked.

As for Cosby's official statement on the matter. In November, his lawyer released the following statement,

Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced. The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work. There will be no further statement from Mr. Cosby or any of his representatives.

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