The time has come for a reckoning for entertainment legend Bill Cosby on sexual assault allegations. Yesterday, Montgomery County prosecutors laid out their case in a probable cause hearing stating why a trial should go forward. Montgomery County Judge Elizabeth McHugh agreed with the prosecution and Cosby, 78, will stand trial. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $25K fine if convicted. The dramatic fall from grace started when a prosecutor reopened a case against Cosby for assaulting Andrea Constand in his Philadelphia home in 2004.
For the past year, the public has witnessed the stripping away of honors from degrees from famous academic institutions to a stripping of rank from the United States Navy. Throughout the ordeal, dozens of women emerged from the past to accuse Cosby of sexual assault. These assaults included Cosby giving the women the powerful drug Quaalude and alcohol. People rallied around Cosby as he denied the charges, muddying the reputations of the accusers and arguing that sex with some of the women was consensual. But the unsealing of sworn depositions from 2005 and 2006 painted a much different picture of America’s TV dad. Salacious details emerged of multiple affairs and sexual encounters that spanned decades. He even admitted that he frequently gave woman Quaaludes before sex, which was shocking since Cosby was famous for his anti-drug messages. New information released this week from depositions show Cosby also engaged in sex acts with young would be models in their late teens. Once again, he admitted to giving Quaaludes to the women during these encounters.
However, for many in the Black community it still is not enough to shake their unwavering support for Cosby. The tearing down of not only a man but the personification of Black success in entertainment is too much for some in the community. Supporters cite his good works and the fact that the same scrutiny is not leveled at White celebrities accused of sexual assault such as Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. Criticism is even leveled at Black media outlets that cover the story, as Cosby advocates claim Black media is complicit in the deliberate destruction of Cosby. But one must ask, is sexual assault, no matter how long ago it took place, something that should be overlooked because of celebrity? Is sexual assault by a rich and influential man on vulnerable women something that is acceptable?
Bill Cosby did this to himself. He chose to create a public persona of morality and profited from it handsomely with his unprecedented celebrity success. All the while engaging in a drug and sex filled private life, with (it seems) the knowledge of his wife Camille Cosby. Now, as the criminal trial will go forward, what was hidden will now be laid bare for all of America to see. It will be salacious and it will be painful to watch.
