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Bill Cosby Fallout: NBC Cans Sitcom, Netflix Postpones Special
Bill Cosby performs at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino last September in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Decades of disturbing rape accusations against Bill Cosby are catching up with the comedian this week: sources say that NBC has decided to cancel a sitcom in the works, and Netflix recently announced that it has decided to postpone a special that was set to air at the end of this month.Variety reports that writers and producers on the project at NBC were told today that the development has been halted for the project. A deal was cut for the unnamed project last summer that would star the Cosby in a familiar role as the patriarch in a sitcom. A finished script hadn't yet been turned in. The terms of the deal call for the network to pay a handsome penalty to Cosby if the pilot isn't picked up, Variety says. So far the network hasn't released an official statement.
Meanwhile, Netflix did announce yesterday that they were planning on postponing an hour-long special set to air on November 27 in honor of the comedian's 77th birthday. A Netflix spokesman told Variety, "At this time we are postponing the launch of the new stand up comedy special 'Bill Cosby 77.'"
Rape allegations against Cosby aren't anything new but they have picked up steam in recent weeks. Comedian Hannibal Burress' bit reminding everyone of the allegations against the comedian brought the issue to the fore once again. This week another woman stepped forward publicly with new allegations. Yesterday Janice Dickinson spoke out for the first time with her own story about being drugged and raped by Cosby in 1982. Cosby's attorney Marty Singer called Dickinson's allegations "defamatory" and "outrageous."
Related:
Here's Bill Cosby Joking About Drugging Women In 1969
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