Since creating and starring as Dr. Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show, the once-beloved and ubiquitous comedian and actor Bill Cosby has seen his public image and career impacted by numerous allegations of sexual assault and abuse, all of which he has consistently denied.

Unfortunately, we all know where Bill Cosby is now (and unfortunately, it’s not prison, as he was released in 2021). But before he ruined the name Cosby forever, The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 until 1992, was a comedy classic that launched many careers.

Editor’s Note: With the news this week that “The Cosby Show” will start back in reruns on Bounce TV , here is columnist Leslie Gray Streeter’s 2015 commentary on how the allegations ...