Bill Cosby cancels Boston shows; women’s groups had threatened to rally outside theatre

BOSTON – Bill Cosby cancelled his Sunday stand-up comedy performances in Boston and the theatre said tickets will be refunded but didn’t offer a reason for the abrupt change.

The Wilbur Theater posted an announcement on its website Sunday morning. The theatre apologized for the short notice but didn’t give any more information.

A spokesman for Cosby, who has a home in western Massachusetts, did not respond to requests for comment.

Several Boston-area women’s groups said they planned to gather outside the theatre and called for the cancellation of Cosby’s two Sunday shows.

Helen Gumpel, a model and actress who appeared in an episode of “The Cosby Show,” is also expected to hold a news conference at a Boston hotel Sunday afternoon to talk about sexual advances she alleges the 77-year-old entertainer made.

The cancellations come as the northeastern New England states are in the midst of another snowstorm expected to bring nearly two feet (60 centimetres) of snow to the Boston area through Tuesday.

Cosby faces sexual assault accusations from at least 15 women, with some of the claims dating back decades. He denies the allegations and has never been charged with a crime. Some of his performances elsewhere have drawn heckling and protests. Some have been cancelled but none as abruptly as Sunday’s.

Wilbur Theater owner Bill Blumenreich said he had been planning to tighten security inside and outside the venue as a precaution.