Bill Cosby shocked the crowd at his show in London, Ontario, by joking about the numerous sexual assault allegations that have turned TV’s most beloved sitcom dad into a show-biz pariah.
Cosby performed in London on Thursday night to a crowd of 1,500, and the show was not without incident. Two protesters interrupted the performance, heckling Cosby. Ejected by security, one protester loudly declared, “I’m being ejected because you are a rapist.”;
The disgraced 77-year-old comedian quickly tried to calm the audience, many of whom had responded with cries of “We love you, Bill!”; saying “stop it, stop it… that’s right, shh, no clapping.”;
The pair were then surrounded by London police and briefly arrested in the Budweiser Gardens foyer “under the Trespass to Property Act”; for failing to show I.D.
Throughout Cosby’s performance, a small but very vocal group of protesters picketed outside of the venue.
Later in the show, a woman stood up from her seat to leave, causing Cosby to ask where she was going. She replied that she as going to get a drink, and Cosby asked if she could get him one as well, reported The National Post.
“You have to be careful about drinking around me,” quipped Cosby, obliquely referencing the dozens of women who have accused him of offering them drugged drinks and then sexually assaulting them.
According to The New York Daily News, there was an audible gasp from the audience… followed by a round of applause.
Cosby still has one more Ontario show, a Friday performance in Hamilton,
where the police presence will be strong.
Ike Richman, who works for the company that manages Centre In The Square, where the comedian will perform, told CBC News that audience members who disrupt the show will be asked to leave, and that uniformed and plain-clothed offices will be at the event.
A Hamilton protester named Anne Bokma told the news service that she expects 400 people to join her in protesting Cosby.
