The change in Mr. Cosby’s image from best-known father to accused serial abuser has caused discomfort akin to confronting the dark past of a family member.
As woman after woman has come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault, there has been growing public revulsion, but also a nagging question: Did it have to be Cliff Huxtable?
He was America’s Dad, the star and co-creator of the most-watched show in America in an era when network television drew big enough audiences to shift the national conversation. Parents and children watched together, identified themselves in the struggles big and small of the characters. Mr. Cosby’s was an old-school obstetrician, the kindly type whom women trusted to guide them to motherhood.
It has made the rising drumbeat of allegations more shattering than typical celebrity misbehavior. Particularly for Americans who grew up with “The Cosby Show,” the transformation of Mr. Cosby’s image has produced the discomfort and struggle akin to coming to terms with the dark past of a family member.
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