Netflix has postponed a Bill Cosby birthday show due to launch later this month (November) in the wake of rape allegations made against the iconic comedian.
Bill Cosby 77, an hour-long stand-up comedy special, was set to launch on the streaming service on November 28 to mark Cosby’s 77th birthday – but has now been held back indefinitely.
“At this time we are postponing the launch of the new stand-up comedy special Bill Cosby 77,” a Netflix representative told Variety yesterday (November 18).
Although Netflix offered no explanation for the postponement of the birthday special, in recent weeks several women have come forward to accuse Cosby of rape and sexual assault, including supermodel Janice Dickinson, who alleged in a US TV interview that aired shortly before Netflix’ announcement yesterday that Cosby had sexually molested her in 1982.
Cosby, perhaps best known for starring in long-running sitcom The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992, has also cancelled two planned US chatshow appearances in the wake of the rape and sexual assault allegations. He has a new sitcom in the works at NBC, but the network has not commented on the project’s status since the allegations of rape and sexual assault came to light.