Bill Cosby: ‘His Career Is Over’ Says Hollywood Crisis Expert

Bill Cosby may be doing his best to fend off the growing rape allegations that are now coming from more than a dozen women, but Hollywood experts say the 77-year-old comedian’s career is as good as over.

This week a handful of new accusers have come forward to say that Cosby drugged and raped them. The number has risen steadily since fellow comedian Hannibal Buress called out Cosby at a stand-up appearance, shedding light on decade-old allegations against Cosby.

Though the accusations failed to gain much traction in the media in the past, now there is a wave of controversy as more and more women come forward to accuse Cosby.

The rape allegations have started to sink Cosby’s career as well. This week both Netflix and NBC canceled planned projects with Cosby, and many venues are cancelling his appearances.

“His career is over. It’s done,” one Hollywood crisis expert told People magazine. “There’s no salvation from this. Why would anybody want to go into business with this guy now?”

Despite the prediction that Cosby’s career is over, the comedian actually saw the first bit of good news in weeks. At an appearance in Florida on Friday, Cosby was met with a standing ovation.

Cosby has also struck back against the allegations, with his attorney calling the events “completely illogical.”

“The new, never-before-heard claims from women who have come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40 or even 50 years ago have escalated past the point of absurdity,” said attorney Martin Singer in a statement.

“These brand new claims about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous, and it is completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years.”

“Lawsuits are filed against people in the public eye every day,” Singer continued. “There has never been a shortage of lawyers willing to represent people with claims against rich, powerful men, so it makes no sense that not one of these new women who just came forward for the first time now ever asserted a legal claim back at the time they allege dthey had been sexually assaulted. This situation is an unprecedented example of the media’s breakneck rush to run stories without any corroboration or adherence to traditional journalistic standards … It is long past time for this media villification of Mr. Cosby to stop.”

But despite the calls from Singer, new rape allegations continue to surface against Bill Cosby. This week Carla Ferrigno, wife of former Incredible Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno, claimed Cosby attacked her and forced her to kiss him when she was a teenager. On Friday, another former model and actress claimed the comedian forced her to perform a sexual act on him.