Editing Bill Cosby (section)

=== Impact of sexual assault allegations on Cosby's legacy ===
Joan Tarshis, who had accused Cosby of raping her, within a ''Salon.com'' article, compared Cosby's damaged legacy to that of [[O. J. Simpson]], saying: "When you hear O. J. Simpson's name, you don't think 'Oh, great football player'. That doesn't come to mind first. I'm thinking it's not going to be 'Oh, great comedian'. It's going to be 'Oh, serial rapist'."<ref>{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Mary Elizabeth |date=July 27, 2015 |title=Bill Cosby's accusers paint a chilling portrait of the man and his legacy: 'I'm thinking it's not going to be, Oh, great comedian. It's going to be, Oh, serial rapist' |url=http://www.salon.com/2015/07/27/bill_cosbys_accusers_paint_a_chilling_portrait_of_the_man_and_his_legacy_i%e2%80%99m_thinking_it%e2%80%99s_not_going_to_be_oh_great_comedian_it%e2%80%99s_going_to_be_oh_serial_rapist/ |work=Salon}}</ref>

In 2015, ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]'' magazine released an issue with the allegations against Cosby as the cover story, discussing the importance of ''The Cosby Show'' and if it is possible to separate Bill Cosby from Cliff Huxtable. The cover depicted a photograph of the Huxtables with a cracked frame, symbolizing the show's damaged and complicated legacy.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 22, 2015 |title=Ebony's cracked 'Cosby Show' cover reveals fractures in show's legacy for black community |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/22/ebonys-cracked-cosby-show-cover-reveals-fractures-in-shows-legacy-for-black-community/ |first=Justi Wm.|last=Moyer|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

In late 2018, the Christmas song "[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]" was pulled from several radio stations amid controversy that its lyrics allegedly promote sexual predation. Susan Loesser, daughter of composer [[Frank Loesser]], blamed Bill Cosby for backlash against its lyric "say, what's in this drink?". Loesser said, "Bill Cosby is ruining it for everybody{{nbsp}}...Ever since Cosby was accused of drugging women, I hear the date rape thing all the time{{nbsp}}...I think it would be good if people looked at the song in the context of the time. It was written in 1944. It was a different time."<ref>{{cite web |last=Papenfuss |first=Mary |date=December 7, 2018 |title=Bill Cosby Blamed For Controversy Over 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-cosby-blamed-frank-loesser-baby-its-cold-outside-bans_us_5c09ac21e4b04046345a85e4 |access-date=January 20, 2019 |via=Huff Post}}</ref>

The 2022 premiere of the 21st season of ''[[Law & Order]]'' touched on the Cosby cases, with the plot being centered around the murder of an entertainer (in this case a singer) released from prison after his conviction was overturned in a manner resembling Cosby's. Like Cosby, he had been accused of many counts of rape yet maintained his innocence but was shot and killed by a victim looking for revenge.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=24 February 2022 |title=Law & Order's First Episode in 12 Years Tackles a Bill Cosby–esque Case |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/02/law-and-order-premiere-episode-tackles-bill-cosby-esque-case |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref>

In 2022, [[W. Kamau Bell]] released the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] documentary ''[[We Need to Talk About Cosby]]'', which explores Cosby's life and career up to his sexual assault cases, through conversations with comedians, journalists, and survivors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Poniewozik |first=James |date=February 7, 2022 |title='We Need to Talk About Cosby' (Among Others) |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/arts/television/bill-cosby-documentary-w-kamau-bell.html |access-date=March 16, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A representative for Cosby issued a statement days prior to the series's premiere, stating: "Mr. Cosby has spent more than 50 years standing with the excluded; made it possible for some to be included; standing with the disenfranchised; and standing with those women and men who were denied respectful work because of race and gender within the expanses of the entertainment industries, continues to be the target of numerous media that have, for too many years, distorted and omitted truths... intentionally. Mr. Cosby vehemently denies all allegations waged against him. Let's talk about Bill Cosby. He wants our nation to be what it proclaims itself to be: a democracy."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |date=January 26, 2022 |title=Bill Cosby Responds to 'PR Hack' W. Kamau Bell on Damning New Series |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/bill-cosby-kamau-bell-we-need-to-talk-about-cosby-1290653/ |access-date=January 30, 2022 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Towers |first=Andrea |date=January 26, 2022 |title=Bill Cosby responds to accusations in We Need to Talk About Cosby docuseries, rep calls director a 'PR hack' |url=https://ew.com/tv/bill-cosby-responds-to-we-need-to-talk-about-cosby-docuseries-allegations/ |access-date=January 30, 2022 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>