Bill Cosby has earned a reputation as a genuinely funny guy.
His comedic portrayal on “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” and Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” were legendary.
Now, he’s gained a legendary reputation for suspected behavior that could only be described as evil.
Whoopie Goldberg might be the only person who still believes in Cosby’s story that he’s not a serial rapist.
At last count, the alleged publicly identified sexual victims of comedian Bill Cosby numbers 35.
That’s how many victims were recently featured on the cover of New York magazine, giving faces to their accounts of being sexually assaulted by Cosby.
The women did not know each other. But they all knew Cosby.
“Nobody wants to be a member of this club,” said alleged victim Patricia Leary Steuer.
The New York magazine photographs, by Amanda Demme, are accompanied by an article by Noreen Malone that examines the women’s accusations. The women had previously talked about getting assaulted, with their identity often protected.
The project began six months ago, when more than a dozen women publicly accused Cosby of sexually harassing, assaulting or raping them, often after he had drugged them to an unconscious state.
Jody Quon researched the women’s stories and placed them in chronological order starting in the 1960s.
Quon said the women had nothing in common other than their accusations against Cosby. After contacting several women, Quon said the response was overwhelmingly positive.
The women who spoke to New York magazine told similar stories in their interviews, with many asserting that he drugged them or got them drunk before having a sexual encounter with them.
The women have gathered strength knowing they were not the only women who had been victimized by a suspected serial rapist. They have exhibited courage and bravery.
Cosby has never been charged with a crime and has denied the accusations.
However, Cosby conceded he used fame, influence and powerful drugs in his pursuit of women during a 2005 lawsuit that involved a settlement.
Let’s see — either 35 women are lying or one evil man.
Now, Cosby is mum. After all, what can he say? He’s got no defense.

— Jim Misunas