‘No One Is Surprised,’ Comedians Comment On Cosby Rape Allegations
Rosanne Barr’s statement that “no one is surprised” about the rape allegations against Bill Cosby seems to have some truth to it. USA Today reports that Barr made the comment on the set of Cristela during an interview with Access Hollywood.
Barr, who referred to Cosby as a great comedian, said, “We all know women who know somebody, if they didn’t go through it themselves with Bill Cosby. There are hardly any women — hairdressers, waitresses, working women — who don’t know somebody.”
In addition to her lack of surprise, Barr lamented the fact that nobody anyone paid serious attention to the rape allegations until a man said something about.
Barr was referring to Hannibal Buress, who joked about Cosby being a rapist while on stage in Philadelphia. A video of Buress calling Cosby out as a rapist went viral last year. During the joke segment, which lasted for almost two minutes, Buress talked about how people in the audience might be surprised to hear Cosby associated with rape.
Buress quipped, “I’ve done this bit on stage and people think I’m making it up…. when you leave here, google ‘Bill Cosby rape.’ That s*** has more results than ‘Hannibal Buress.'”
Buress may be the first comedian to say anything about the rape allegations on stage, but Barr’s comment about no one being surprised is supported by remarks by other comedians.
Patton Oswalt is reported to have said that comedians, like Bobcat Goldthwait, talked about Cosby’s issues with women frequently. Larry Wilmore reportedly told the Hollywood Reporter that Cosby was not a hero for him.
The Inquisitr reported that Marc Maron commented that he believed the allegations, saying, “And it’s horrible, but what do we do now? Do we just let it go? Is that it?”
Some comedians have expressed not surprise but sadness over the allegations. Kevin Hart is reported to have said that Cosby’s personal life and his career are separate, and that the rape allegations do not prevent him from admiring Cosby’s work.
Chris Rock, in an interview with Vulture, is quoted as saying, “I grew up on Cosby. I love Cosby, and I just hope it’s not true.”
In the end, possibly like other comedians who grew up admiring Bill Cosby, Barr hopes Cosby can make amends for his actions.
Barr said, “I have hopes for this great comic. I think he could make it clean, make it right. … He could do a lot for himself just by saying I’m sorry.”
[Image: Rosanne Barr, Bill Cosby, Marc Maron, Larry Wilmore, Patton Oswalt, and Hannibal Buress]
