LOS ANGELES ¨C Comedian Bill Cosby¡¯s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was vandalized on Friday with the word ¡°rapist¡± written over it, after numerous women came forward in recent weeks alleging Cosby had sexually assaulted them in incidents dating back decades.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said Cosby¡¯s star, which was defaced with a marker pen, was being cleaned up. The organization filed a police report citing vandalism of a registered California state landmark.
¡°When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways,¡± the organization said in a statement.
More than a dozen women have come forward saying Cosby, 77, sexually abused, groped and in some cases drugged them in incidents dating back to the 1960s. One California woman, Judy Huth, filed a lawsuit against Cosby this week accusing him of sexual battery when she was aged 15 in 1974.
Cosby¡¯s attorney has called the allegations discredited and defamatory. The trailblazing African-American comic best known as the wholesome Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the long-running, top-rated television series ¡°The Cosby Show,¡± has not been charged with any crimes.
The allegations have damaged Cosby¡¯s public image and led to the cancelation of his NBC and Netflix television projects and numerous live comedy concerts. On Thursday, the U.S. Navy revoked Cosby¡¯s title of honorary chief petty officer, saying the allegations conflicted with the military organization¡¯s beliefs.
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