Bill Cosby Wiped From Television Academy’s Website 25 Years After Hall Of Fame Induction
Bill Cosby’s achievements in the television industry are no longer being celebrated by the Television Academy. The Cosby Show star’s name has been erased from the Television Academy’s online honorees list after a jury found Cosby guilty of aggravated indecent sexual assault against former Temple University employee Andrea Constand last week. In addition to the removal of Cosby’s name from the Hall of Fame webpage, a statue of the 80-year-old actor and comedian will not be installed in the new Saban Media Center’s courtyard, according to Deadline.
A spokesperson for the Television Academy confirmed the removals to Deadline.
“All references to Mr. Cosby were removed from the website.”
In addition, while all statues depicting Hall of Fame honorees were removed from the Television Academy Plaza during construction of the Saban Media Center, the piece depicting Cosby is the only one that won’t return.
“At the time it was announced that they would be rotated from storage into the courtyard,” the spokesperson said.
“We have no plans to place Mr. Cosby’s bust in the courtyard.”
Bill Cosby’s Television Academy awards include four Primetime Emmys and the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. The TV Academy rep said there are no plans at the present time to rescind Bill Cosby’s physical awards, but the deletion of his name and achievements on the website makes it clear the Academy wants plenty of distance from the fallen TV star.
TV Academy Hall of Fame makes unprecedented move and removes #BillCosby's name and bust https://t.co/j6jjWk6NIK pic.twitter.com/X7Q6wb2pzS
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) May 3, 2018
Bill Cosby was inducted into the Television Academy in 1992 during the final year of his Emmy-winning signature sitcom The Cosby Show. The eighth annual Hall of Fame ceremony was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. According to the Academy’s website, the 1992 ceremony included the inductions of fellow TV legends Andy Griffith, Ted Koppel, Sheldon Leonard, Dinah Shore, and Ted Turner.
Bill Cosby’s removal from the Hall of Fame honorees list is the first time in the history of the Television Academy that a Hall of Fame recipient has ever had their honors revoked. In the aftermath of his sexual assault conviction, Cosby has also had honorary degrees yanked by several colleges, including Yale and his alma mater, Temple University. In addition, Bounce TV has now pulled all Cosby Show reruns from its schedule, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
You can see a now-questionable scene from The Cosby Show below.
