Wheeling, West Virginia … I am in you.
Embattled comedian Bill Cosby posted a bizarre video on Monday, apparently attempting to ramp up attendance to his upcoming appearance on March 14 at a venue in West Virginia. Bill Cosby is on a comedy tour he calls “77”.
Bill Cosby’s short video promo featured the 77-year-old comedian sitting in an armchair in front of a blue curtain background, speaking into an old-style rotary telephone handset.
Bill Cosby is dressed in what appear to be red silk pajamas in the video. He speaks into the phone as though talking to a fan.
“Yes. I’m going to be in Wheeling, West Virginia, Capital Music Hall. Eight o’clock show, that’s right. And you know I’ll be hilarious. Can’t wait.”
The video message to fans was accompanied by a written message:
“Dear Fans, I hope you enjoy my wonderful video message that’s filled with LAUGHTER. Hey hey hey, I’m Far From Finished.”
The “Hey hey hey” is a reference to one of Bill Cosby’s most enduring joke series and characters, that of Fat Albert. While many peopel may be familiar with the Fat Albert character from the cartoon show “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”, Bill Cosby used the obese kid in his standup material long before the show was produced.
Ever since over 30 women have come forward with allegations of rape and sexual assault against Bill Cosby, he has been canceling appearances all over. He recently canceled shows in Warren, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky. Bill Cosby’s promoter has said that the cancellations were a mutual agreement between Bill Cosby and the venues in those locations.
But Bill Cosby is not going down without a fight. He has declared that he is “Far From Finished”. We’ll see how the crowds in Wheeling, West Virginia respond to him now.
For their part, police in Wheeling say they do not plan to ramp up police presence due to the show that evening.
“We’re not going over the top. We’re treating it like any other day, but we’ll be ready if something develops,” Deputy Police Chief Martin Kimball said. “People’s opinions are what they are, and we don’t have any control over that.”
You can watch the short video Bill Cosby released right here.