Bill Cosby Out at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Visitors to Disney World’s Hollywood Studios will no longer be able to check out a bust of embattled actor and comedian Bill Cosby.

Following months of public outcry, the statue of Cosby that once sat outside the park’s Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza has come down, multiple news outlets are reporting. The move comes on the heels of Cosby’s admission that he once obtained Quaaludes to give to young women he was hoping to have sexual encounters with.

While Disney officials were not readily available for comment, NBC reported that the statue of the embattled actor came down Tuesday evening after the Orlando area park closed to the public.

Cosby, 77, has been the focus of numerous sexual assault allegations lodged by women across the country. Late last year, a Florida woman joined the expanding list of accusers while court documents unsealed on Monday in Pennsylvania show that Cosby admitted in 2005 to obtaining Quaaludes.

See Also:

• Florida Woman Joins List of Bill Cosby Accusers
• Naked Bill Cosby Statute Unveiling
• Actress Claims Bill Cosby Raped Her in New Jersey

Pressure for Disney to remove the Cosby bust from the plaza that honors the likes of Bob Newhart, Oprah Winfrey and Walt Disney himself has been mounting for months. Back in February, a St. Petersburg art gallery unveiled a possible replacement for the piece in a work titled “Fat Albert Cries for Dr. Huxtable.” That statue, created by a teenage boy, was meant to depict the loss of innocence surrounding Cosby and his many acting personas. The design included a naked rendition of an overweight Cosby with a “saddened Fat Albert” covering up his unmentionables.

“As a fan, I think I just felt compelled to depict two of Bill Cosby’s creations at odds with each other, because Bill Cosby seems to be at odds with what I always thought Dr. Huxtable stood for,” artist Rodman Edwards was quoted in a media release as saying.

A petition asking Disney to remove the statue was also launched on Change.org.

“In light of recent circumstances it is prudent that the bust of actor Bill Cosby be removed from Disney’s Florida theme park,” the petition says. “The Disney name is synonymous with family friendly entertainment and with Mr. Cosby in the media daily facing accusations of sexual assault with the number of victims ever-climbing, it is inappropriate for Disney Parks to have a replica of Mr. Cosby’s likeness on display.”

With only 275 supporters, it’s unclear how much weight the petition held in Disney’s decision.

Cosby has continued to deny all allegations and has never been criminally charged.

It is unclear if Disney will replace the Cosby bust with a likeness of another actor.