Over 50 women have accused Bill Cosby of alleged sexual assault or rape and now he faces charges for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2004. Many of these women had made accusations before 2015, but the majority of them came forward for the first time this past year. It all started with a joke from comedian Hannibal Buress who did a bit about Cosby being a rapist during a fall 2014 show where he noted that 13 women had accused Cosby of rape. Buress said:
Yesterday at a Television Critics Association event Buress talked about the aftermath since his joke, calling it "weird."
According to the Associated Press Buress said, "I was doing a joke in my show and that shouldn't influence public opinion. I don't know if it should go that far." He added, "It's weird to me that a joke did that." Except it didn't really influence public opinion. It led to people searching for past accusations, as he so suggested, and created a viral moment that can only exist nowadays with current technology. It put a spotlight on an issue and with the world looking at Cosby these brave women decided to come forward to tell their truths—some of them for a second time—all leading up to the current charges against Cosby.
But Buress, who has received death threats for the routine, is done with this moment talking to press about upcoming projects like a Netflix comedy special premiering Feb. 5 and The Angry Birds Movie. You can also catch more of Buress on the best television show you're not watching Broad City when it returns for its third season on Feb. 17.
