All About Laughs
The case of Bill Cosby continues to be a heartbreaking one. The comedy legend and black entertainment staple was accused of and later convicted of several counts of s*xual a**ault resulting in his incarceration. Many struggle to reconcile to television Cosby from the real life one, something that makes it hard when people attempt to defend or downplay his actions. One place where this distinction is incredibly clear however is in the court of law, where he has been denied parole despite his continued claims of innocence.
Bill Cosby was born William Henry Cosby Jr. on July 12, 1937. He is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer and author. Cosby was a Hollywood legend for over six decades before being convicted of a number of sex offenses in 2018. Cosby’s greatest contribution to the world was by far the sitcom The Cosby Show. Debuting in September of 1984, Cosby was involved in every aspect of the series, even pulling inspiration from his own life to inform the characters and plot lines. The leads Cliff and Clair Huxtable were inspired by Cosby and his wife Camille who, like the characters, were also college-educated and financially successful with five children. The Cosby Show eventually went off air in 1992.
In the years since being convicted he’s maintained his innocence, with many celebrities defending him. One person who has come to his aid is former child star Jaleel White, who formed a bond with Cosby at a young age. “I actually had a bit of a falling out with Mr. Cosby…I kept that to myself,” he said during a TV One special on his career. “Knocking off these monuments who are still human beings, it’s tough! And you go back in time, and you realize how close you were to something, and you put yourself in rooms where you realize his wife wasn’t there, that woman was probably there for that purpose. You know, it’s a hell of a hindsight thing to look at, and you don’t want anyone to feel like you’re trying to use them for clout. You know what I’m saying? A revered man did terrible things, and he’s paying the price. I think that’s where we leave it: A revered man did a terrible thing, and he is paying the appropriate price.”
It looks like he’ll continue to pay the price too. The Keystone State’s Parole Board has made it very clear he is not getting out of jail anytime soon. Via their statement: “Following an interview with you and a review of your file, and having considered all matters required pursuant to the parole board, in the exercise of its discretion, has determined at this time that: you are denied parole/reparole.”
According to TMZ, “A lot of factors went into [the] decision to rule against the [Cosby]. For instance, he didn’t participate in a treatment program for sex offenders and he failed to develop a parole release plan.”
