Any good architect will attest that a structure or home built on a shoddy foundation is bound to collapse eventually. Time can make one forget about the foundation, it allows individuals to sweep the issue under the rug or ignore it; out of sight, out of mind. However, this neglect leads to more rot within the core until the foundation splits and the structure crumbles. As many have seen in recent months, the Hollywood system appears to be dealing with such an issue.
Victims of sexual harassment going back decades seem to be coming out of the woodwork to expose their assailants, no matter how much influence or power they have over the system. Unfortunately, these accusations appear to be nothing new in the entertainment industry. In fact, they’re entirely too common. Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Mike Tyson, Martin Lawrence, R. Kelly, and even current President Donald Trump have all been responsible for entertainment industry sex scandals with few repercussions. In fact, Mike Tyson was the only celebrity on this list to have been served jail time as a result of his actions. Other individuals listed in TooFab’s "11 Stars" list include Bill O’Reilly and Bill Cosby.
What’s interesting about Cosby and O’Reilly is that their cases led to significant backlash while the same types of allegations were practically ignored in the past. Five women accused O’Reilly of sexual assault, threatening litigation against the FOX News anchor. He was subsequently fired and blames liberal media sources, particularly Matt Lauer, for his dismissal. Bill Cosby’s allegations also brought about the end of his career. In many ways, the Cosby scandal was the precursor to the exposure Hollywood is facing today.
It was the first instance where the public was allowed to see the darker side of the entertainment industry for a brief moment before the curtain was closed in front of them, protecting who was underneath. Cosby’s entire career was based around his personal feats and accomplishments and the allegations that surrounded them. This means that for every award he won or new show he was able to push forward, there was another skeleton that was left for him to push into the nearest closet.
The LA Times Article, titled "Bill Cosby: A 50-year chronicle of Accusations and Accomplishments," highlights this perfectly. In 1963, Cosby released his first stand-up album which garnered him critical and commercial acclaim. After winning his first Grammy in 1965 he starred in "I Spy," a show which garnered him up to three Emmy awards. From here, Cosby is alleged to have committed his first recorded sexual assault against Sunni Welles, “Cosby raped her twice when she was an aspiring singer in the mid-1960s by drugging her drink,” (LA Times).
Kristina Ruehli shares a similar experience a few years later but was able to leave his apartment before he committed the act. This cycle continues as Cosby wins his first Emmy for "I Spy" and then goes on to assault Joan Tarshis, Cindra Ladd, and Linda Brown. Next came "Fat Albert" and six more assaults. More fame led to more sexual outbursts until Cosby was charged in Pennsylvania for criminal sexual assault and after years of litigation the case was declared a mistrial.
While there isn’t an exact number for Cosby’s accusers, the current statistics say that 58 women have come out against him. Here is a career that was built on the exploitation of others, a rotten house that eventually crumbled under its own weight. Bill Cosby showed the public that the celebrities they idolize and revere as role models are fallible.
This case made people care about the state of the Hollywood system, it finally pulled the curtain back on Hollywood and let the public see this system for what it truly is. For what the Hollywood entertainment industry has been built on and who is responsible for building it this way.
