Bill Cosby Gets To Keep His Star

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A fallen star is still a star, apparently. And being a convicted rapist doesn't change the fact that Bill Cosby is a star, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which said Tuesday that it won't remove the disgraced comedian's Walk Of Fame star despite calls to do so.

As Cosby was headed to prison for rape Tuesday, activists called for his star to be removed, submitting a petition to get it off the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The chamber, which is responsible for the Hollywood landmark, resisted the pressure.

"The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historical record of entertainment figures past and present," the chamber said in a statement. "Once installed, the stars become part of the historic fabric of the Walk of Fame, a 'designated historic cultural landmark,' and are intended to be permanent.

"The stars only commemorate the recipient's professional accomplishments. It is regrettable when the personal lives of inductees do not measure up to public standards and expectations, however, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce does not remove stars from the Walk of Fame."

Cosby, 81, was sentenced Tuesday to three to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University staffer Andrea Constand in his Pennsylvania home in 2004. He's been accused by dozens of women of committing similar crimes, but has maintained his innocence.

READ MORE: Bill Cosby Sentenced To State Prison

Over the weekend, local civil rights activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson said he collected more than 1,000 petition signatures calling for the removal of Cosby's star because of his crimes.

Hutchinson called the chamber's refusal to remove the star "despicable and hypocritical." He said the decision "sends the horrible message that keeping a celebrity star is more important even when confronted with the issue of rape and violent sexual assault."

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report; Photo: HOLLYWOOD, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: Bill Cosby's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is seen in this file photo taken on September 4, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Matthew Simmons/Getty Images)