The sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby had already severely damaged his career even before The Associated Press revealed last week that he admitted under oath in 2005 to obtaining quaaludes to give to young women he wanted to have sex with. But now even more are walking away.
A look at efforts to cut ties with Cosby, and a look at who’s sticking with him:
• Medal of Freedom: Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment, a group supporting sexual assault victims, launched a campaign Wednesday to revoke Bill Cosby’s Presidential Medal of Freedom.
As of midday Saturday, more than 5,500 people had signed the petition posted on the White House’s “We the People” website. If the petition gets 100,000 signatures by Aug. 7, the White House will review it and respond.
• College: Central State University, a historically black college in Wilberforce, Ohio, is considering changing the name of its Cosby Communications Center. The Cosby family has donated more than $2 million to the school. School officials earlier said the name would stay, but President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond said this week the name will be “discussed appropriately.”
• Walt Disney World: The theme park in Florida on Tuesday removed a statue of Cosby from its Hollywood Studios attraction.
• Walk of Fame:Black civil rights leaders on Thursday called on the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove Cosby’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, saying it could otherwise become a “walk of shame.” The chamber said it had no plans to remove Cosby’s star and has never removed one before.
• Smithsonian: The Smithsonian Institution is standing behind a museum exhibition that relies in part on the art collection of Bill Cosby and his wife. The museum said it does not condone Cosby’s behavior but that the exhibit is about the artworks and the artists, not about the owners of the collections.
• Black conservatives: Project 21, a black conservative leadership network, on Friday criticized the federal judge who unsealed portions of Cosby’s deposition. Cosby’s public statements about parenthood, crime and other issues shouldn’t have played a part in the decision, said Project 21, sponsored by the Washington-based National Center for Public Policy Research.
