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Bill Cosby isn’t welcome at New York’s Comedy Cellar, says owner

The owner of Comedy Cellar in New York has declared that Bill Cosby won’t be welcomed on the premises of the famous club after his prison release.

The 83-year-old comedian’s sexual assault conviction was overturned on 30 June after he spent nearly three years in prison on three charges of aggravated indecent assault.

After his release, the comedian plans to do a stand-up tour. However, Comedy Cellar owner Noam Dworman has said he will refuse to book him at his venue, as the audience wouldn’t appreciate it.

Previously, Aziz Ansari and Louis CK performed at the venue after their respective sexual misconduct scandals, which received criticism at the time.

However, Dworman claims that the accusations against Cosby were far worse than anything Ansari and Louis CK allegedly did.

“Comparing Bill Cosby to these other guys (Ansari and Louis CK) is absurd,” he told The New York Post, clarifying that his stance was taken because the two other comedians were never charged with a crime.

In October 2018, Dworman said he did not know CK was going to perform at the Comedy Cellar and was “disappointed” that he did not address the “elephant in the room” regarding his sexual misconduct scandal.

Other famous comedians to have performed at the club include Dave Chappelle, Jim Norton, Kevin Hart and Robin Williams.

Cosby’s rep Andrew Wyatt told TMZ that Cosby was undaunted by the news. “That’s one club owner, and in the words of the King of R&B Bobby Brown, ‘It’s his prerogative to do what he wants to do,’ ” he said.

The court ruling last month resulted from an agreement Cosby struck with a district attorney, Bruce Castor, in 2005 wherein Castor declined to prosecute Cosby in exchange for the comedian’s testimony during a civil trial.

Soon after his release, Cosby shared a statement on social media: “Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.” The statement included an image of Cosby punching the air.

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