Bill Cosby show at Wells Fargo Center ‘indefinitely postponed’

An upcoming performance by comedian Bill Cosby, scheduled for June 6 at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, has been canceled amid ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct.

More than 30 women have accused Cosby, 77, of sexual assault or rape, some going back decades. Cosby has denied the accusations. No charges have been filed.

A news release from the center said the show had been “indefinitely postponed,” but Wells Fargo Center Marketing Director Kyle Clausen said no new date has been discussed. The release said the postponement of the Wells Fargo Center show is by mutual agreement between Cosby tour promoter John Low of Palo Alto and Cosby.

Phone messages and emails to Low seeking further comment were not returned.

The Wells Fargo Center had sold 565 tickets so far for the show in the center’s main theater, which seats more than 1,600, Clausen said.

Ticket holders will receive refunds. Prior to the show’s cancellation announcement, the center had provided refunds on Cosby tickets to about 10 patrons who requested them. Tickets were priced from $69 to $99.

Wells Fargo Center had a rental contract for the show and was not involved in the decision not to hold the June 6 performance, Clausen said.

“We were informed Thursday by Mr. Low. That’s all we know about it.” Clausen said. “We had had feedback from roughly 50 people, both bad and good, about the Cosby show, and we passed those comments on to Mr. Low.”

Clausen declined to discuss whether the cancellation and the ticket refunds involve a serious financial loss for the center. Nor would he disclose the amount of the rental fee that the promoter was to have paid.

“We’re not going to have any comment on the financial part of it,” Clausen said. “That’s something I’m not at liberty to talk about.”

Four weeks ago, Dolores Edelstein of Petaluma and Sandy Campbell of Sebastopol posted a petition on the Change.org website, demanding cancellation of the Cosby show at Wells Fargo Center. By Friday, the petition had 4,315 signatures in 48 states and four countries. There were more than 140 signatures from Sonoma and Marin counties.

“I consider this a big victory,” Campbell said of Friday’s announcement. “So many women who have been victims of sexual harassment are afraid to speak up against a powerful man.”

Some of the shows on Cosby’s current tour have been canceled without any reasons given publicly, while others have sold out. His concerts have drawn both protesters and standing ovations from the crowd, sometimes at the same show.

For Cosby’s show last month in Denver, ticket buyers requested refunds for 1,200 of 3,100 tickets sold. At a sold-out Cosby show in Turlock in mid-January, picketing was light, and the crowd cheered the comedian.

At least four February shows were canceled. Cosby’s June 7 appearance at the Flint Center in Cupertino, the day after the now-postponed Wells Fargo Center show, has been listed as canceled by promoter Ticketmaster. Two April shows in Albany and Rochester, N.Y., also have been canceled.

Ticketmaster still lists half a dozen Cosby performances, continuing until June 26 in Providence, R.I.

The Cosby controversy has gotten widespread media coverage, most recently when comic Eddie Murphy reportedly decided not to participate in a Cosby parody on last Sunday’s “Saturday Night Live” 40th anniversary special.

One case, stemming from a 2008 incident involving Cosby and model Chloe Goins, falls within California’s statute of limitations. Goins filed a complaint on Jan. 15, and Los Angeles police say they are investigating.

Cosby has performed 11 times at the center since 1998. His photo, once displayed on the lobby wall with portraits of other stars who have played Wells Fargo Center, was taken down sometime during the past couple of months.

Ticket holders will automatically be issued a refund, according to the center. Patrons who purchased tickets with a credit card will receive a refund to that card within five to seven business days. Patrons who purchased tickets by cash or check will be mailed a refund check within 14 business days.

For further information, call the center’s box office, open daily from noon to 6 p.m., at 546-3600.

(Note: This story has been changed to correct the number of tickets sold for Bill Cosby’s show in Denver.)

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com.