Bill Cosby has been stripped of his Kennedy Center Honors and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor following the guilty verdict in his sexual assault retrial.
“Today the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rescind two artistic achievement awards the institution had previously bestowed upon Bill Cosby: the Kennedy Center Honors (1998) and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2009),” a spokesperson told Page Six Tuesday.
Bill Cosby arrives at court with spokesperson Andrew Wyatton on the first day of jury deliberations as he is retried on charges of Sexual Assault on April 23, 2018, at the Montgomery County Courthouse (Picture by: Splash News)
“The Honors and Mark Twain Prize are given to artists who, through their lifetime of work, have left an indelible impact on American culture,” it added. “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.”
Last month, a jury found the 80-year-old comedian guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee at his home in Philadelphia in 2004.
The guilty verdict of three counts of aggravated indecent assault each carries up to 10 years behind bars.
By law, sentencing must take place 100 days following the verdict on April 26.
Last week, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences revoked his membership and the Television Academy has eliminated any mention of the actor from its Television Hall of Fame and its website.
Yale University also voted to strip Cosby of the honorary degree it gave him in 2003. Temple, Johns Hopkins University and Carnegie Mellon University have also rescinded honorary degrees.