In June, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Bill Cosby, allowing him to be released from prison less than two years after being convicted and sentenced for several counts of aggravated indecent assault against a woman.
The conviction being overturned did not relate to the facts of the case, but rather that Cosby had previously been promised immunity by a prosecutor. Regardless, Perez Hilton, who has covered numerous celebrities via his gossip blogs and videos, said Cosby is among the elite celebs that simply cannot be canceled.
“There are some that are exempt from cancel culture,” Hilton said on the Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef podcast [h/t CheatSheet]. “If you’re an A-lister, you are cancel-proof, you can not be canceled if you’re an A-lister. Look at Bill Cosby. Convicted rapist was released from jail on a technicality. After his release, he announced plans for a docu-something, either a docu-series or a documentary film. And he announced his intention to go on a standup comedy tour. Even though Bill Cosby is a convicted rapist and so many other around 50 other women who did not get their convictions also accused him of rape.”
When Cosby was released from prison, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, who charged Cosby in 2015, said that he hoped the conviction being overturned would not discourage more women from coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct in the future.
Hilton said he believes Cosby could sell out a venue with a few thousand or fewer seats despite his conviction. Hilton also said other celebrities are nearly immune from ‘cancel culture.’ Specifically, Hilton pointed to Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2009 after his then-girlfriend Rihanna was hospitalized with injuries at the hands of Brown.
Hilton also mentioned Mel Gibson, who he called an “antisemitic racist” and an alleged abuser. Gibson has been recorded using antisemitic and racial slurs in the past, and he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery of the mother of one of his children.
Are some stars really “cancel-proof?” Tell us what you think in the comments.