As allegations of sexual assault continue to swirl around entertainer Bill Cosby, some North American venues have decided to cancel the 77-year-old’s planned shows.
Cosby is slated to hit Kitchener on Jan. 7, and Centre in the Square officials say they have no reason to call off the show – and plenty of reason not to.
“This is a rental show and CITS is contractually obligated to move forward with the show unless it is cancelled by the external promoter,” a CITS spokesperson posted on the venue’s website Monday.
“This is an honest response to a complicated situation. Commercial rental shows at The Centre are crucial for the venue to earn sufficient funds to operate.”
According to the website post, cancelling the show would leave CITS – which is grappling with significant financial difficulties – on the hook for any losses incurred by the third-party promoter, any fee paid to Cosby himself and refunds for all tickets purchased to this point.
In London – which hosts Cosby the night after Kitchener does – the head of the London Abused Women’s Centre has called for the show to be cancelled.
Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region operations manager Sara Casselman says the best-case scenario in her mind would be for the promoter of the Cosby show to cancel the Kitchener date on their own.
Still, a fundraiser for the SASC is being planned for the same night as Cosby’s show, and Casselman says she’d encourage people to stay away from the show.
“The big picture here is the message that we’re sending to women in our community,” she told CTV News.
“We are telling them how we would react if they came forward to disclose their experience of sexual violence.”
Cosby has yet to be charged with a crime, although more than 24 women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
