School’s out for Bill Cosby. At least at Fordham University.
Fordham has revoked the honorary doctorate that it gave to Cosby in 2001, amid the sexual-assault scandal surrounding the besieged comedian.
The decision was made on Thursday by unanimous vote during a Board of Trustees meeting, after Fordham president Joseph McShane introduced a motion to cut the doctorate.
“The University has taken this extraordinary step in light of Mr. Cosby’s now-public court depositions that confirm many of the allegations made against him,” Fordham said in a statement.
That would be the deposition from the lawsuit filed by Cosby accuser Andrea Constand. In the deposition, which was provided to the media earlier this year, Cosby admitting to obtaining Quaaludes to give to women he hoped to have sex with.
This is the first time that Fordham has rescinded an honorary degree, the school added.
“Fordham has never before rescinded an honorary degree. A recipient’s actions would have to be both unambiguously dishonorable and have a deep impact,” Fordham’s statement noted. “By his own admission, Mr. Cosby’s sexual exploitation of women was premeditated and ongoing. Equally appalling is his longtime strategy of denigrating the reputations of women who accused him of such actions.
“That Mr. Cosby was willing to drug and rape women for his sexual gratification, and further damage those same women’s reputations and careers to obscure his guilt, hurt not only his victims, but all women, and is beyond the pale,” the statement continued.
On Thursday, Cosby was also stripped of the honorary degree that was given to him by Marquette University, which he received in 2013.
“By his own admission, Mr. Cosby engaged in behaviors that go entirely against our university’s mission and the Guiding Values we have worked so hard to instill on our campus,” Marquette president Michael R. Lovell and provost Daniel J. Myers said in a statement Thursday.
The decision came after several weeks of “extensive conversations” about the matter, Lovell and Myers said.
Cosby has been accused of rape or sexual assault by dozens of women, many of whom have said that the comedian drugged them beforehand.
The former “The Cosby Show” star faces multiple lawsuits due to the accusations. However, his attorney has denied the allegations, and he has not been charged.
11 TV Shows Canceled by Controversy -- From 'Honey Boo Boo' to 'Politically Incorrect' (Photos)
Paula Deen’s Food Network shows - After admitting to using racial slurs, The Food Network severed their relationship with Deen and canceled her shows “Paula’s Home Cooking,” “Paula’s Best Dishes,” and “Paula’s Party.”
Food Network
“Politically Incorrect” – ABC pulled the plug on Bill Maher’s talk show after the host disagreed with President Bush calling the terrorists behind the September 11th attacks cowards. Maher asserted that the U.S. military response in the Middle East was cowardly, saying: “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” – TLC abruptly canceled the reality show after reports that June Shannon, mother to the young star of the series, was dating a convicted child molester.
TLC
“Ford Nation” – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s talk show, co-hosted by his brother Doug, lasted only one episode. The program premiered on the same day the Toronto City Council voted to strip Ford of most of his powers and budget.
Getty Images
“The Good Life” – CeeLo Green’s reality show was canned by TBS days after the musician pleaded no contest to a felony charge of giving a woman the drug ecstasy. He then tweeted: “People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!”
Getty Images
“7th Heaven,” in syndication – Reruns of The WB series were pulled from UP TV after audio tapes surfaced of the show’s patriarchal star Stephen Collins admitting to child molestation.
The WB
CNN’s Hillary Clinton documentary – Director Charles Ferguson pulled out of the project after Democrats, Republicans and the Clintons themselves criticized the film. CNN Films then canceled their plans to move forward with the documentary.
Getty Images
“All My Babies' Mamas” – Oxygen was in the midst of developing a special featuring rapper Shawty Lo and his family of 11 children from 10 different women. An online petition to cancel the show led the cable channel to shelve the project.
Oxygen
“Buckwild” – MTV suspended production on the reality series following the death of cast member Shain Gandee. The 21-year-old was found dead of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
MTV
"Flip It Forward" – Twin brothers Jason and David Benham were set to star in their own HGTV series, but the network shut down those plans after learning about homophobic, anti-Muslim and anti-abortion statements they’d made in the past.
HGTV
1 of 11
All of these series had the plug pulled on them under less than ideal circumstances
Paula Deen’s Food Network shows - After admitting to using racial slurs, The Food Network severed their relationship with Deen and canceled her shows “Paula’s Home Cooking,” “Paula’s Best Dishes,” and “Paula’s Party.”