Bill Cosby appearance postponed at Kentucky university

By Steve Bittenbender

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Reuters) – A March appearance by Bill Cosby at a Kentucky university has been postponed, adding to the list of shows postponed or canceled following accusations of sexual misconduct against the comedian.

The March 15 appearance by Cosby at the University of Kentucky in Lexington was postponed “by mutual agreement” with the entertainer and the show’s promoter, National Artists Corp, the university said in a brief news release on Tuesday. Refunds to ticket holders will be made starting March 2, the school said.

A total of 655 tickets had been sold for a hall that holds 1,502, said Whitney Hale, a university spokeswoman.

More than a dozen women have publicly accused Cosby of sexual misconduct in recent months, in a controversy that has tarnished the image of the actor and comedian best known as the lovable father figure on the 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show.”

Cosby denies the allegations of sexual assault, many of which are decades old and fall outside the statute of limitations for criminal or civil cases.

Cosby, 77, had a show scheduled for Feb. 12 in Bakersfield, California, but postponed it. His Feb. 21 show at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh was also canceled by what venue officials described as the result of a mutual agreement with Cosby.

(Reporting by Steve Bittenbender; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Eric Walsh)