Cosby has had women accuse him of rape for years, yet only recently has the public begun to take these allegations seriously. In the wake of Bill Cosby’s sexual assault charges, most of the public has denounced Cosby for his actions. Cosby Show marathons are no longer played, the Huxtables have lost their title of America’s first family, and pudding pops are no longer a novelty item.
While Hollywood is quick to write off a woman for having a bad attitude or being too old, support rarely wavers for men with alleged sexual or domestic assault records.The list below features eight powerful men whose reputations have yet to be tarnished by allegations of sexual or domestic assault.
Floyd Mayweather
Mayweather’s abuse has dated back to 2002, where he entered a plea bargain to two counts of domestic violence after punching his daughter’s mother Melissia Brim. Josie Harris, the mother of three of Mayweather’s children, also charged him for battery. Though she dropped charges, in 2011 she called the police after Mayweather beat Harris in front of their children. Mayweather plead guilty.
Dr. Luke
Kesha, who is signed under Dr. Luke's label Kemosabe Records, filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke in 2014. She recounts how his verbal abuse lead to her bulimia, and how he would force her to use drugs and alcohol to accept his sexual advances. Dr. Luke has counter sued, claiming Kesha is attempting to escape her contract with Luke’s label.
Terrence Howard
In 2001, Howard admitted that he “broke the door down and hit [his] wife” Lori McCommas. His next wife, Michelle Ghent, would later detail incidents of repeated verbal and physical abuse in 2011. However, Howard counter claimed she was racist and often attacked him first. Later in 2013 on a trip to Costa Rica, Ghent claims she was “sucker punched”, choked, and kicked by Howard.
Woody Allen
In Dylan Farrow’s open letter to the New York Times in 2014, she recounts the abuse she suffered under Allen. “Woody Allen took me by the hand and led me into a dim, closet-like attic on the second floor of our house. He told me to lay on my stomach and play with my brother’s electric train set. Then he sexually assaulted me.” Though the charges were dropped after police found no evidence of the rape, the judge found Allen’s behavior was “grossly inappropriate and that measures must be taken to protect [Dylan].”
Allen later went on to marry the Dylan’s adopted sister, Soon-Yi Previn. Though she is 35 years younger than Allen, he insists their “paternal relationship” works well.
R. Kelly
In 2002, a sex tape showed R. Kelly allegedly having sex and peeing on an underage girl. Along with counts of child pornography and his illegal marriage to Aaliyah at 15, Kelly has demonstrated his perverted tendencies. Journalist Jessica Hopper reported how Kelly would visit his former high school to lure young girls into having sex with him. Kelly’s manager, brother, and personal assistant have all acknowledged Kelly’s inappropriate obsession with younger women.
Roman Polanski
In Samantha Geimer's autobiography The Girl, she writes how Polanski lured her into his home by claiming he was photographing her for French Vogue. He gave the 13-year-old champagne, a sleeping pill, and eventually molested her. Polanski plead guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, but fled to Paris before he could be sentenced to prison.
Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre has had a history of abusing women. His ex-fiancé Michel'le says,"I had five black eyes, I have a cracked rib, I have scars that are just amazing. It was normal. Everybody that knew, it was the norm.” After releasing a diss track to Dr. Dre in “Ruthless B-“, rapper Tarrie B recalls how Dre punched her in the eye and mouth.
The most notorious case was between Dre and Dee Barnes, the host of the MTV show "Pump it Up!" She was kicked and smashed against the wall repeatedly by Dr. Dre, and he later admitted in a Rolling Stone interview that “it ain’t no big thing – I just threw her through a door.”
Sean Penn
During his relationship with Madonna, the couples time together was filled with abuse. In 1987 Penn allegedly hit Madonna with a baseball bat, but she declined to file charges. The next year, Lieutenant Bill McSweeney recalled Madonna “stagger[ing]” into the police station after Penn had tied her to a chair and attacked her for nine hours.
So how are these men punished for punching women in the face and raping children? The problem is, they aren’t. Instead, we pay to watch Mayweather’s payper view events. We faithfully tune in to see Terrence Howard each week on Empire. R. Kelly continues to perform at awards show, as we pay to see Sean Penn in blockbuster hits. Woody Allen, Dr. Luke, and Roman Polanski are considered artistic geniuses and praised by a flock A-list celebrities. And we all paid to see Straight Out of Compton while wearing our Beats this summer to support Dr. Dre.
We don't want to feel guilty for watching our favorite shows or cheering on our favorite artists. We make up the excuse that we're separating the artist's work from their actions, that what they do outside their projects doesn't reflect the quality of entertainment.
These men have shed their pasts while their survivors are forced to live with the abuse everyday. The public needs to stop forgiving sleazy men for their heinous actions. Stop buying their music, watching their shows, and supporting their projects. By accepting these abusers past actions, we shove their crimes under the rug in favor of entertainment.
It's 2016. It's time to boycott abusive men who use their power to avoid punishment and take advantage of others.
