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Bill Cosby Gets Standing Ovation in Denver Despite Protests

3 minute read

After a day of protests against Bill Cosby the comedian performed two shows Saturday at the Buell Theatre in Denver, before an audience which showed him their full support.

When Cosby walked out for his 5 p.m. show uttering “Hey, Hey, Hey” – his traditional Fat Albert opening – wearing a grey hoodie with the words “hello friend,” the audience, estimated at 1,800 people in a 2,900-seat auditorium, cheered in response.

For the next hour and nearly 40 minutes, Cosby regaled the crowd with stories of being a husband, a father and a son. He talked about not having six-pack abs anymore yet still having the bag they came in, but not one word was said about the protestors outside, including women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred and one of his alleged victims, Beth Ferrier.

As the performance wrapped up, the audience of mixed ages and genders, stood in a standing ovation, applauding loudly while Cosby, 77, offered a military salute and his thanks.

Earlier that afternoon, a much smaller audience greeted Allred and Ferrier, who hosted a rally at Denver’s Crawford Hotel in support of the women who’ve come forward with claims the comedian had sexually assaulted them. The event, called a “Teach In and Speak Out,” was attended by about 75 men and women.

The audience showed their support by shouting, “We’re with you,” as Ferrier, a Denver resident, shared her story of the alleged assault that took place in 1986 a few miles from the venue. “This doesn’t get any easier,” Ferrier told PEOPLE about publicly sharing her story. 

 “It’s an important day because Bill Cosby has the chutzpah – the guts – to come to Denver, of all places, to perform and to treat these allegations as a joke,” Allred told the crowd.

So far, more than 15 women have come forward claiming they were drugged and assaulted by Cosby. The alleged attacks go back as far as the 1960s. 

Cosby, who has never been charged with sexual assault, faces a new complaintfrom model Chloe Goins that is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Cosby’s attorney Marty Singer issued a statement to PEOPLE denying he attended the party at the Playboy Mansion where the alleged assault took place in 2008. 

In response, Goins’ attorney Spencer Kuvin plans to fight back and tells PEOPLE: “If he has evidence then we would like to see it, and the LAPD would like to see it too. Otherwise, it is just a lawyer’s words. Additionally, I appreciate Mr. Singer admitting that Mr. Cosby has kept records going back to 2008. We would like to see where he was for the entire summer of 2008 and if he was ever at the mansion.”

— Reporting by Elizabeth Leonard and Christine Pelisek

This article originally appeared on People.com

Bill Cosby’s Public Life in Photos

The Ed Sullivan Show
Bill Cosby performs on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. CBS/Getty Images
Bill Cosby
A portrait of Bill Cosby taken in 1965.Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Cosby
Bill Cosby poses with his Emmy for his role in I Spy at the Primetime Emmy Awards in New York City in 1966. AP
Comedian Bill Cosby holding cigar
A portrait of Bill Cosby taken in 1969.Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
The Second Bill Cosby Special
Bill Cosby performs on The Second Bill Cosby Special in 1969.Fred Sabine—NBC/Getty Images
Ron Galella Archive - File Photos
Bill Cosby attends the "Concert at Town Hall" at Town Hall in New York City in 1971.Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images
The Bill Cosby Show
Bill Cosby as Chet Kincaid on The Bill Cosby Show.NBC/Getty Images
The Cosby Show
Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff 'Cliff' Huxtable in The Cosby Show.Frank Carroll—NBC/Getty Images
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Bill Cosby is interviewed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 1992.Wendy Perl—NBC/Getty Images
Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby speaks to an audience on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia in 2006, in Washington D.C.LAWRENCE JACKSON—AP
The 2011 Jackie Robinson Foundation Awards Gala - Dinner
Host Bill Cosby speaks onstage at the 2011 Jackie Robinson Foundation awards gala atThe Waldorf Astoria in 2011 in New York City. Stephen Lovekin—Getty Images
2011 Temple University Commencement
Bill Cosby attends the 2011 Temple University Commencement at the Liacouras Center in 2011 in Philadelphia, Pa.Gilbert Carrasquillo—Getty Images
2014 American Comedy Awards - Press Room
Bill Cosby attends the 2014 American Comedy Awards at Hammerstein Ballroom on April 26, 2014 in New York City. Andrew Toth—FilmMagic/Getty Images

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