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Bill Cosby’s ‘Make Me a Meme’ Request Goes Awry, In what can only be described as a stunning lack of awareness, Bill Cosby’s social media team yesterday unveiled a Cosby-themed meme generator and asked the Internet’s noble denizens to go forth and make a meme of the famed Philly comedian. But, as always, we should be careful what we ask for.
The generator facilitates putting words onto the images he’s offering and users can then share the results. But the generator has since been removed from the site without explanation, along with erased social media mentions of it from Cosby’s personal account.
Initial reaction to the idea – which was sent out Monday afternoon to the legendary comic’s nearly 4 million Twitter followers – seemed to be confusion, as well as dread over what might result, given the allegations of sexual assault by a number of women that have plagued the 77-year-old in recent years.
Cosby has been accused of targeting, grooming, drugging and raping girls as early as the 1970s and as recently as 2004. Since 2002, 13 women have come forward to make abuse claims against Cosby.
While known primarily for his stage act, his classic sitcom The Cosby Show and the animated series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, the legendary comic settled a lawsuit in 2006 with a woman who said he drugged and sexually assaulted her in early 2004 at his home outside Philadelphia, the Associated Press reported. The woman said that he assaulted her after giving her pills.
The photos offered by the meme generator are stills of the performer from The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992.
Shortly after the challenge went out, the #CosbyMeme hashtag had been taken over by unflattering images of the comic.
The reason for the meme generator is unclear, and although submissions are subject to review before they are posted on the Cosby site, there’s little to prevent people for sharing their unapproved creations off the site.
Attempts to reach Cosby for comment were unsuccessful.
Agencies/Canadajournal
