Janis Ian Says Bill Cosby Tried to Ban Her From TV

Singer Janis Ian has added her voice to the many who are speaking out against Bill Cosby since numerous sexual assault allegations have come out against the comedic icon.
Ian penned a Facebook post this week, sharing her own story about her personal experience with Cosby. She wrote that her story began when her hit, “Society’s Child,” dominated the charts when she was only sixteen years old. She then made an appearance on the variety show “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” Shortly after the taping, Ian was informed that she had been blackballed from appearing on television. According to Ian, her manager explained that it was Cosby who made the campaign against her. Ian wrote, “Cosby, seeing me asleep in the chaperone’s lap, had made it his business to ‘warn’ other shows that I wasn’t ‘suitable family entertainment,’ was probably a lesbian, and shouldn’t be on television."