Bill Cosby Updates: More Awards, Honorary Doctorate Degrees Rescinded
More award-giving bodies were recalling the honors received by Bill Cosby after the actor-comedian had been found guilty of multiple sexual assaults.
Variety revealed that the Kennedy Center decided to withdraw the awards that they gave the actor in the past. One of them is the Kennedy Center Honors that he received in 1998 and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor that was given to him in 2009.
A spokesperson from the center released a statement on Monday, saying that the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to withdraw the two achievement awards.
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"The Honors and Mark Twain Prize are given to artists who, through their lifetime of work, have left an indelible impact on American culture," the spokesperson stated. "As a result of Mr. Cosby's recent criminal conviction, the Board concluded that his actions have overshadowed the very career accomplishments these distinctions from the Kennedy Center intend to recognize," the spokesperson added.
The board's decision came after the jury found him guilty in a retrial for the sexual assault charges that were filed by Andrea Constand. The second set of jury believed that he was guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. This means that the 80-year-old actor and TV host might possibly spend the rest of his life in prison since each count for the crime has a maximum penalty of up to 10 years behind bars.
Aside from the awards, a lot of universities in the country also announced their decision to revoke the honorary degrees that he received over the years.
News Observer revealed that since his conviction, the University of Notre Dame, the John Hopkins University, the Carnegie Mellon University, the Temple University, the Boston College, the North Carolina A&T State University, the Lafayette University, as well as Yale University opted to rescind their honorary doctorate recognition that they gave the actor during the past decades.
More recently, the University of Cincinnati, the Gettysburg College, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the Colby College all announced that they will recall the honorary degree that he received from them.
The sentencing hearing for Cosby's case has yet to be scheduled, but a source reportedly told Radar Online that the prosecutors want him to spend at least a decade behind bars.
"Prosecutors will ask the judge to not only sentence Bill Cosby to prison, but to remand him into custody immediately at the sentencing," an insider reportedly said. "Bill's attorneys are expecting the prosecutors to ask for the maximum sentence, 10 years in prison on each count, but he would likely serve the sentences concurrently," the source added.
However, the defense is expected to ask the judge to let the actor spend his time out on bail while his appeal remains pending. In case the request will be denied, they will ask the judge to let him stay under house arrest.
The insider also mentioned that Cosby was given the chance to register himself as a sex offender and agreed to a house arrest condition if he will plead guilty to at least one of the charges. However, the actor refused the offer.
