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Bill Cosby Thanksgiving Special Shelved by Netflix Amidst New Rape Accusations

Bill Cosby Thanksgiving Special Shelved by Netflix Amidst New Rape Accusations
Bill Cosby's Netflix series has been shelved amid rape allegations.Allan S. Adler/Shutterstock

Bill Cosby‘s new comedy special, Bill Cosby 77, due to be released on Netflix the day after Thanksgiving, has been canceled, execs tell Us Weekly.

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As new rape claims continue to emerge, the streaming service has decided premiering the celebratory show over the holidays would be a mistake.

“At this time we are postponing the launch of the new stand-up comedy special Bill Cosby 77,” Netflix told Us in a statement.

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The latest woman to come forward with claims of sexual abuse at the hands of the 77-year-old Cosby Show alum is former supermodel Janice Dickinson. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dickinson, 59, gave shockingly intimate details about a rape she claims happened in 1982.

“The next morning I woke up, and I wasn’t wearing my pajamas,” the model and actress told the TV outlet about a Lake Tahoe encounter she says she had with Cosby. “I remember before I passed out, thinking that I had been sexually assaulted by this man.”

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Dickinson is the third woman to come forward in the last week and accuse Cosby of rape. On Monday, Nov. 17, Joan Tarshis went into graphic detail about her alleged encounter with the star in an on-camera interview with CNN after Cosby’s lawyer denied the claims.

Cosby, for his part, has refused to comment on any of the accusations. “Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced,” the actor’s lawyer said in a statement released to NPR on Sunday. “The fact they are being repeated does not make them true,” the statement reads. “Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work. There will be no further statement from Mr. Cosby or any of his representatives.”

Netflix’s move puts NBC under pressure to follow suit. The network, who also has a comedy series in the works with Cosby, slated for a summer or fall 2015 release, has yet to comment on their plans in the light of the continued allegations against the actor.

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