Hannibal Buress: how a comedian reignited the Bill Cosby allegations
Sexual assault allegations had surrounded Cosby for years, but when Buress’ standup joke went viral, dozens of women came forward
Allegations of sexual assault had swirled around Bill Cosby for years, but it is the comedian Hannibal Buress who is often credited with helping to put the actor’s treatment of women front and center in public consciousness.
Attorney Gloria Allred stands with accusers of actor and comedian Bill Cosby after a jury convicted him in a sexual assault retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S., April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Bill Cosby found guilty in sexual assault trial in milestone for #MeToo era
Cosby was convicted by a Pennsylvania jury on Thursday of drugging and molesting Andrea Constand in 2004. Dozens of other women have now come forward to say that Cosby sexually assaulted them or attempted to, with some claims dating back as far as the 1960s. But the allegations didn’t stick until 2014, when Buress mocked Cosby as part of a standup routine in Philadelphia.
“Bill Cosby has the fuckin’ smuggest old black man public persona that I hate,” Buress said at the time. “He gets on TV, ‘Pull your pants up black people, I was on TV in the ‘80s! I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom!’ Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches.”
Buress also asked members of the audience to “Google ‘Bill Cosby rape’” when they got home, joking that it would have a whole lot more results than a search for his name, “Hannibal Buress”.
In the following days, the joke went viral, prompting dozens of women to step forward to accuse the star of The Cosby Show of assault.
Among them was former radio host Kathy McGee, who told the Hollywood Reporter: “For 40 years, I didn’t say anything because I thought it was just me,” adding she stayed quiet because she thought “nobody would believe me”.
In July 2015, New York Magazine dedicated a cover story to 35 women accusing Cosby of assault – and from there, the numbers of accusers grew. He now faces accusations of sexual misconduct from more than 60 women.
On Thursday a Pennsylvania jury found Cosby guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, who first reported Cosby’s behavior back in 2004. In 2005, a district attorney declined to bring charges against Cosby, citing “insufficient credible and admissible evidence”.
Buress has rejected the notion he played a pivotal role in bringing claims against Cosby to light, telling GQ in 2015: “People are going to put on you whatever they want to put on you.”
