Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Bill Cosby was a huge influence on me, but "I can no longer watch I Spy without anger, guilt and shame"

The Hollywood Reporter

The NBA Hall of Famer was 18 in 1965 when Cosby became an important role model simply by being a black person with a starring role on network TV. Cosby later became a friend and mentor. Yet, in the wake of the many sexual misconduct allegations against Cosby, Abdul-Jabbar says Cosby's work has been exiled to "a cultural Phantom Zone where we are in the process of sentencing the artworks of offenders deemed unworthy." He adds: "I can no longer watch I Spy without anger, guilt and shame. There are other shows, movies, books, artworks, comedians and musicians I can no longer enjoy. In addition to the horrendous devastation to the individual women, we as a culture are severely damaged, afraid to embrace any art or artist lest they eventually be tainted by bad behavior. We are all trapped in this necessary but exhausting j'accuse cycle of condemnation and punishment, denouncing and renouncing."