Bill Cosby's name removed from the TV Hall Of Fame as his wife calls for investigation of DA

In an unprecedented move, the Television Academy has removed Bill Cosby’s name from its Hall Of Fame. The actor and comedian, who had been an honoree since 1992, now no longer shows up in searches of the official roster of those inducted into the Hall.

Deadline reports the Academy confirmed Cosby’s removal from its ranks, with a spokesman telling the publication, “All references to Mr. Cosby were removed from the website.” Additionally, a bust of Cosby that used to stand in the Academy’s Hall Of Fame Plaza has been remanded to storage, with no plans to return it to public view. The group says it has no plans to rescind Cosby’s awards from over the years—which include four Bob Hope Humanitarian Awards—but nevertheless, the removal of his name and likeness from the Academy’s ranks is a pretty public disavowal of the man accused of drugging and assaulting more than 50 women.

The news comes just as Cosby’s wife Camille released a statement demanding a criminal investigation of the prosecutor’s office that convicted him. “This is a homogeneous group of exploitative and corrupt people, whose primary purpose is to advance themselves professionally and economically at the expense of Mr. Cosby’s life. If they can do this to Mr. Cosby, they can do so to anyone,” she said, apparently failing to finish the last sentence with, “…who has admitted on record to repeatedly drugging women against their consent.”

Regardless, Camille Cosby continues to insist on her husband’s innocence, saying that the unproven allegations “evolved into lynch mobs,” laying additional blame on the media for its “relentless demonization of [Cosby] and unquestioning acceptance of accusers’ allegations.” In a final display of sensible analogy, she compared Cosby’s situation to that of Emmet Till, the 14-year-old black teen lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of flirting with a white woman. We’ll let the irony of Cosby being compared to an innocent young person violated against their will speak for itself.