CAA drops Bill Cosby, group petitions White House to revoke his Medal of Freedom

Back in November, as public opinion soured on Bill Cosby, a number of institutions heeded calls to disassociate themselves from the embattled actor and comedian.

Nickelodeon pulled "Cosby Show" episodes from Nick at Nite. NBC cut ties with him, and Netflix scrapped plans for a Cosby stand-up special.

As Cosby's status as a public pariah gained momentum, Temple University and Spelman College, institutions to which Cosby had donated generously, both disavowed him. So did the University of Massachusetts.

After unsealed court documents from a 2005 deposition revealed Monday that Cosby acknowledged that he intended to give drugs to young women with whom he wanted to have sex, the urge to scrub Cosby from every facet of American culture has sprung anew.

Bounce and Centric, the last two networks that were still airing the "Cosby Show," announced they would stop. The Disney theme park Hollywood Studios said it was dispatching of Cosby's statue. And, as Deadline Hollywood first reported Wednesday, even Cosby's agency, CAA, dropped him months ago.

So what else could possibly be left?

Certainly the most grave consequence — short of criminal charges being filed and an actual trial and conviction for sexual assault — would be if the White House revoked Cosby's Medal of Freedom, which he was awarded in 2002.

A rape survivor advocacy group called Preventing Awareness | Victim Empowerment, or PAVE, is petitioning the White House to revoke the medal. So far they've amassed roughly 2,300 signatures. It's not clear if the White House can or will revoke Cosby's Medal of Freedom.

"For many years, President (Barack) Obama has been a courageous leader in efforts to help victims of sexual abuse and prevent sexual violence on campus and in the military," PAVE executive director Angela Rose said in a statement. "Bill Cosby has admitted to obtaining drugs to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex. That's why it is vital the president take this opportunity to send a message about the critical importance of consent."

"I don't know whether or not it's legally possible to do so," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday during the presidential daily briefing.

In December, the U.S. Navy revoked Cosby's honorary title of Chief Petty Officer. Cosby had served in the Navy from 1956 to 1960 before he was honorably discharged as a Third Class Petty Officer. In a statement, the Navy announced that it was "taking this action because allegations against Mr. Cosby are very serious and are in conflict with the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment."

In a statement released Wednesday, Central State University, a historically black college in Wilberforce, Ohio, announced that it was considering removing Cosby's name from its Cosby Communications Center.

"The maintenance or removal of the Cosby name will be discussed appropriately and actions relative to the final decision will occur immediately," university president Cynthia Jackson-Hammond said. "Central State University is committed to protecting and persevering the rights and dignity of all people. The very unfortunate circumstances of the Cosby situation are troublesome and disappointing to all."

However, a Cosby tribute will remain in at least one place: the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable and Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope wrote a letter to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce requesting Cosby's star be removed.

"The answer is no," Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive Leron Gubler said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. "Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk."