Bill Cosby Rape Allegations: Comedian Faces Hecklers, Protesters at Atlanta Show
Bill Cosby's show in Atlanta was met with a tough crowd on Saturday. Cosby still made the crowd laugh, but he faced some hecklers who criticized his treatment of women and even the sweaters he wears, Yahoo reported.
Prior to his show, 20 stood outside the venue with signs in support of women's rights and denouncing sexual abuse. The protesters were referring to the large number of women who have accused Cosby of sexual assault and rape. Lili Bernard, who guest starred on "The Cosby Show" and said she was raped by Cosby in 1992, was also in attendance for the protest.
Security was tight for Cosby's performance in Atlanta. Each audience member was scanned for weapons and were also required to show ID. The IDs were necessary because there was a list of more than 30 people who were not allowed to attend the show because they said on web forums they planned to interrupt the performance, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Before the show started, an announcer told the audience to remain calm and not to confront someone who disrupts the performance.
Two people did disrupt Cosby's performance. One man went on a long rant about Cosby and said he was like "Cosby's sweater."
"Stop. Do you have another 40 minutes?" Cosby interrupted and asked. The crowd responded with applause and laughter.
A woman who was on the "do not enter" list managed to get into the performance. When Cosby was telling a story about his childhood, saying his mother threatened to beat him once, the woman stood up and yelled, "She didn't beat out of you how you treat women!"
The crowd booed the woman, and Cosby stood up and calmed down the crowd. As the woman was being taken out of the performance, Cosby said, "Stop it! This is our show. It will be over soon."
Cosby has been flooded with accusations from women who claim he either sexually abused them or raped them. Cosby's attorney, Martin Singer, has publicly denied these claims.
Cosby's show was shorter than expected, going only 80 minutes. Two times during the performance he asked members in the audience for the time to check on how long he had been on stage. In the past, Cosby's shows have gone for longer than two hours.
Even with the hecklers, Cosby thanked the crowd through a statement to his fans. He said he plans to be back in Atlanta in two years for another show with new material.
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