Column: Bill Cosby’s actions will forever tarnish “The Cosby Show”

“The Cosby Show” is tarnished — its legacy, its advice and its main character, who’s often referred to as “America’s Dad.”

I know — I’m not African-American, and I’m not a woman. But I don’t think you have to be to speak about the allegations surrounding Bill Cosby. 

More than 50 women have accused the comedian of sexual assault, with the encounters dating back for more than a half-century. 

Ebony magazine’s November issue features the Huxtables on its front page, coated with shattered glass radiating from Cliff’s face. 

“But it’s just a bad situation all around — for him, for his family, the women, their families, the legacy of the show,” said Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo on the hit sitcom.

In a 2005 deposition, Cosby admitted to giving Quaaludes to women he intended on having sex with.

That is rape.

To me and many others, Cliff Huxtable was a representation of affluence — a prism of a successful life and reification of the tossed-around concept, “the real world.” To 12-year-old me, the show was evidence of a destination after science labs and spellings tests — one where, if you worked hard enough, you could live in a big house with cherry-wood furniture and could afford an $11,000 painting.

There’s no questioning how groundbreaking the show was. Its depiction of an African-American family shattered racial stereotypes.

But now, to more than 50 women, Cliff is a representation of an indivisible persona. He is Cosby, too.

Defending the show’s legacy represents a problem with rape culture today — that the attacker comes out of the situation unscathed, while the victim continues to suffer. Studies have shown that sexual assault victims are at greater risk of depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Art does not exist in a vacuum. The present affects the past, as it should. 

Keep in mind that many of Cosby’s shows — “Little Bill,” “The Cosby Mysteries” — are attached to his name, not the characters. And attached to his name are his actions. 

Since the statute of limitations has expired in almost all of the cases against Cosby, he’s not facing legal ramifications. 

Thus, the only way of punishing him is through the court of public opinion, which meant pulling his show, rescinding his honorary degrees and, now, recognizing that he is no longer America’s Dad but America’s disgrace.