Here’s What Surprised a Female Comedian About the Bill Cosby Conviction
It’s a little like a perverse Jeopardy! clue. For $200, here is the answer: 60.
The question?
“How many women have to accuse a powerful television mogul of sexual assault before they can obtain a guilty verdict?” In the case of Bill Cosby, anyway. America’s favourite Dad, Bill or “Pill” Cosby (as some now call him) has finally been found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault after last year’s mistrial. The Cosby allegations were not the least bit surprising to me, as stories of sexual misconduct are incredibly common. From Presidents to Priests, everyone is getting their hand stuck in the cookie jar. (Maybe we should call it the #YouToo movement.) What’s new, however, is that women are being believed when reporting these instances.
I always believed the allegations. The last person who is going to be shocked by the sexual misconduct of a male comedian is a female comedian. We all have our stories. I have more than a few events that I would like to forget. The people in our industry who think Cosby is innocent are few and far between, and will most certainly be ridiculed for their views. Cosby is not the first, and Louis CK will not be the last man in comedy to be accused of sexual misconduct. The silence from many of the men in our industry is deafening and telling. Ultimately, the women in our industry will have to decide whether or not they want to out these guys and forever be associated with these incidents—or get on with their lives and careers. At the very least I am confident that the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements will at the very least be a deterrent for some men that have engaged in these behaviours.
Sadly, the most shocking aspect of the Cosby case was not that he was able to sexually assault dozens of women over decades with near impunity, but that he would ever be convicted of these crimes. I personally will reserve any excitement for the actual sentencing. Bill Cosby is a famous, wealthy 80-year-old (nearly) blind man. There is no actual guarantee that he will ever spend a day in prison. And even if he does, will justice have been served? Cosby has already been able to enjoy a long and prosperous career in entertainment and amass an estimated worth of $400 million. That is not because these stories have just come to light either. Stories of Cosby’s misconduct have been reported since the early 1990s by famed talk show host Wendy Williams, who was largely ignored at the time. (It is not lost on me that it took a group of rich, powerful white women to give this movement any real relevance and credibility.) The real issue seems to be that the destructive behaviours of these men are often enabled, hidden and/or ignored until decades later when they are no longer as commercially viable.
The conviction of Bill Cosby is a small step forward—but no real change will come until we dismantle the systems that protect and enable these men and their predatory behaviours. I continue to be exasperated by the notion that the #MeToo movement is some kind of recent revelation. We all knew it was happening, but forgetting is sometimes the best option we have.
 has finally been found guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault after last year's mistrial. The Cosby allegations were not the least bit surprising to me, as stories of sexual misconduct are incredibly common. From Presidents to Priests, everyone is getting their hand stuck in the cookie jar. (Maybe we should call it the #YouToo movement.) What's new, however, is that women are being believed when reporting these instances.
I always believed the allegations. The last person who is going to be shocked by the sexual misconduct of a male comedian is a female comedian. We all have our stories. I have more than a few events that I would like to forget. The people in our industry who think Cosby is innocent are few and far between, and will most certainly be ridiculed for their views. Cosby is not the first, and Louis CK will not be the last man in comedy to be accused of sexual misconduct. The silence from many of the men in our industry is deafening and telling. Ultimately, the women in our industry will have to decide whether or not they want to out these guys and forever be associated with these incidents—or get on with their lives and careers. At the very least I am confident that the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements will at the very least be a deterrent for some men that have engaged in these behaviours.
Sadly, the most shocking aspect of the Cosby case was not that he was able to sexually assault dozens of women over decades with near impunity, but that he would ever be convicted of these crimes. I personally will reserve any excitement for the actual sentencing. Bill Cosby is a famous, wealthy 80-year-old (nearly) blind man. There is no actual guarantee that he will ever spend a day in prison. And even if he does, will justice have been served? Cosby has already been able to enjoy a long and prosperous career in entertainment and amass an estimated worth of $400 million. That is not because these stories have just come to light either. Stories of Cosby's misconduct have been reported since the early 1990s by famed talk show host Wendy Williams, who was largely ignored at the time. (It is not lost on me that it took a group of rich, powerful white women to give this movement any real relevance and credibility.) The real issue seems to be that the destructive behaviours of these men are often enabled, hidden and/or ignored until decades later when they are no longer as commercially viable.
The conviction of Bill Cosby is a small step forward—but no real change will come until we dismantle the systems that protect and enable these men and their predatory behaviours. I continue to be exasperated by the notion that the #MeToo movement is some kind of recent revelation. We all knew it was happening, but forgetting is sometimes the best option we have.){kind=link}