Bill Cosby Blocked by Major Comedy Venue as He Plans Comeback Tour

If Bill Cosby is really planning a comeback tour, he will have to do it without a stop at the popular Comedy Cellar in New York City. The venue’s owner, Noam Dworman, told TMZ Cosby is not welcome at the club. Cosby’s representative claimed last week that the 83-year-old is planning a standup tour now that he is out of prison. Cosby’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 30.

Although the Comedy Cellar is known for allowing controversial comics to take the stage, including Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari, Cosby is where Dworman is drawing the line. Dworman believes the Comedy Cellar audience would not welcome Cosby to the stage. Despite the rejection, Cosby’s representative Andrew Wyatt was unfazed. “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,’” Wyatt told TMZ on Sunday.

Back on Wednesday, Wyatt told TMZ Cosby wants to do a standup tour again. His team has contacted “Several promoters and comedy clubs” who are “open” to the idea, Wyatt claimed. Even though his release from prison caused outrage across the country, the “world wants to see Mr. Cosby,” Wyatt claimed. He offered no specifics for this planned tour, however.

Cosby is also working on a five-part documentary series about his life, legacy and experience in prison, TMZ reports. He plans to sit down for an interview for the series. The producers behind the series have already filmed interviews with Cosby’s friends, family and other celebrities. Wyatt claims Cosby also wants to do a speaking tour around the country to talk to people about being “better citizens and curbing violence.” Cosby is also writing a book with novelist Frederick Williams about his prison experience. (Cosby’s Twitter page published a link to an essay by Williams in February.)

“In his physical appearance, he’s exuberant. In his mental state, he’s exuberant. In his feelings and humor, he’s exuberant,” Wyatt told the Los Angeles Times. Cosby is “colorful and powerful — more powerful than we’ve ever seen,” Wyatt said. Wyatt told the Times that Cosby’s team is not worried about hecklers, and noted Cosby’s performances are “not happening tomorrow.”

In 2018, Cosby was convicted for the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. After only two years in prison, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction after the discovery of a 2005 deal with a prosecutor that meant Cosby could not face criminal charges. Sixty women have accused Cosby of rape and sexual assault. Cosby has denied the allegations.