Here’s a Bunch of Other Shamed Celebs Who Still Have Their Walk of Fame Stars
Bill Cosby gets to keep his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star, both right now and after his prison sentence is completed, and no amount of public opinion or petitions will change this decision. But in Hollywood, this is not so unusual. In fact, there are a lot of stars both past and present who have committed crimes or otherwise fallen from grace, and they remain immortalized on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. They always will.
It basically works like this: once a star has been added to the Walk, it stays there. No matter what you’ve done, once you’ve got a star you will always have a star. However, this probably won’t bring Bill Cosby any comfort while he’s sitting in his cell.
Jerry Lee Lewis became an overnight sensation with hit songs like “Great Balls of Fire,” and toured with the likes of Johnny Cash, among other huge recording stars. But he also married a 13-year-old, whom he allegedly physically abused during their 13-year marriage. He became wildly unpopular in the U.S. and was extremely hated for a long time, but you can always take a selfie with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame if you like.
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle allegedly raped a girl to death. An early fixture in Hollywood, “Fatty” Arbuckle pretty much ran the town back in 1921 when he went on a date with a young Virginia Rappe. She died a few days after this unlucky meeting, and it was later reported that Arbuckle had allegedly raped her. He denied all the claims, of course, and was eventually exonerated of the charges after three trials. He also still has a star and always will, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Gig Young’s name has faded from recent memory, but everyone who was around in the 1970s will never forget it. An Oscar winner, Young reportedly killed his wife and then himself in a horrific murder-suicide in 1978. And yes, his star is still a part of the Walk.
Kevin Spacey very abruptly fell from grace and got booted by Netflix after allegations of sexual misconduct came out against him, but you can still find his star shining on the Walk of Fame. According to those in charge of the landmark, it will always be there.
If the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce fails to voluntarily remove Bill Cosby's star from their Walk of Fame, then whomever takes a sledgehammer to that sidewalk is doing all survivors of sexual assault a public service and should be immediately acquitted IMHO ?
— Brad Barnes (@BradBarnes17) September 25, 2018
A star has never been removed from the Walk of Fame by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the group ultimately responsible for this landmark. Vandals have removed stars on their own, but no celebrity has ever been stricken from the Walk because of acts they have committed. According to the current president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Leron Gubler, no star will ever be removed.
“The answer is no,” he said of removing Bill Cosby or any other star, according to Yahoo News. And that, as they say, is that.
