Bill Cosby and wife Camille Cosby could be headed for divorce amid a growing number of women who have claimed that the groundbreaking comedian raped them.
Cosby has long faced allegations of sexual misconduct, but after comedian Hannibal Buress revived the allegations against Cosby, a number of new accusers have come forward and the allegations gained the kind of media traction they never could in the past. Through the crisis, Bill’s wife Camille has remained by his side, but some sources are now saying that the couple is likely to end up in divorce .
Though Camille herself has not spoken out against her husband, some reportedly believe she is planning on leaving Bill Cosby.
But others say divorce may be unlikely for Bill Cosby, despite the mounting allegations against him. Jezebel writer Erin Gloria Ryan noted that Camille has stood by her husband for years as other allegations surfaced, and seems ready to continue supporting him.
“Maybe Camille Cosby is standing by Bill for a reason entirely different than one considered out here,” Ryan wrote. “Maybe she believes him. Not because it’s rational, but because it’s easier to believe the word of a person you know and love than it is to believe the word of a stranger, or 15.”
CNN editorial writer Blue Telusma said she views Camille Cosby as a victim in her own right. Telusma noted that at one point, Camille actually tried to break out of the considerable shadow cast by her husband and assert her own place in the world.
“I don’t know exactly what it was, except that for me, integrity is important,” Camille Cosby said in a 2000 interview with Oprah Winfrey . “For me friendships are important, family is important, and it is a blessing if we can have monetary benefits. That’s wonderful, and I love it. But I have to have the security of people who really care about me, and me about them. I want to be surrounded by people who have integrity. And, of course, my name is Camille, not Bill.”
But much has changed, Telusma noted. Now Camille is “standing alongside her husband during what may turn out to be the worst month of his long career,” and is seemingly unfazed by the rape allegations against him.
“So how does a woman like that end up spending 50 years of her life beside a man who is now alleged to be a serial rapist?” Telusma wrote. “One can only imagine the embarrassment she must be experiencing through all this. But her dilemma is a lot more common than you may think.”
Camille Cosby may remain standing by Bill Cosby as the rape allegations grow, but that doesn’t seem to slow the divorce rumors the couple also face.
[Image via TVGuide.com ]