Bill Cosby Standing Ovation: Fans In Canada Cheer For Cosby In First Appearance Since Allegations

Bill Cosby received a standing ovation in Canada on Wednesday night. The actor/comedian performed his stand-up routine, making his first official appearance since accusations of sexual assault were made against him. According to Newsday, Cosby’s spirits were uplifted by the crowd in Kitchener, Ontario.

“Dear Fans: I would like to personally thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring laughter back into your lives tonight. Also, I would like to applaud all of you and give you a standing ovation for respecting yourselves, the theatre (Centre In The Square) and the event organizers that produced a spectacular show for the Kitchener Community,” Cosby said in a statement following the show.

The Bill Cosby standing ovation wasn’t expected, to say the least. Several ticket holders said that they planned to boycott the show, and many didn’t know what to expect. There was added security at the theater, and several police officers were brought in to make sure that people were on their best behavior. Even still, the 2,000-seat theater was 75 percent full, and everyone laughed throughout the show.

According to Us Magazine, everything wasn’t exactly “perfect.” There were demonstrators who decided to protest outside of the theaters, some holding signs that read things like, “rape is no joke.” There was some yelling, and some show-goers were taunted, but no arrests were made, no one was physically injured, and everything else was okay.

After Bill Cosby received a standing ovation in Canada, he had lovely things to say about the people and the venue, but kept it short and sweet.

“I had a wonderful time,” he said.

Cosby has been accused of drugging and raping or sexually assaulting more than 20 women thus far. There have been several people who have come to Cosby’s defense over the past several months. The people who have spoken out have included family members and friends. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Cosby’s daughter, Evin, released a statement in support of her dad.

“Rape is a serious allegation and it is suppose to be taken VERY seriously but so is Falsely accusing someone. When someone rapes a person they go to prison. THAT should also happen to the person that has wrongfully accused an innocent victim. They are not ONLY destroying innocent people’s life they are ALSO making it hard for the MEN and Women to find justice when they have been raped. Drugged- you can remember the whole damn day but you were drugged? Just sayin’. Memory- you can remember you looked at (allegedly) each other, people were starring allegedly remembering your home address allegedly the name you called him allegedly But you were allegedly drugged.”

Do you think Bill Cosby deserved a standing ovation after his set considering the allegations brought against him?

[Photo courtesy of Paul Morigi/Getty Images via Entertainment Weekly]