Bill Cosby and Donald Trump will get to keep their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has been asked whether it will remove stars of both embattled public figures from the world-famous Walk of Fame, but the business development organization in charge of the iconic landmark said no.
In a statement obtained by TheWrap, Leron Gubler, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, said the group “has received inquiries asking whether we are planning to remove the stars of Donald Trump and Bill Cosby. The answer is no. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered historic landmark. 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.”
Earl Ofari Hutchinson of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable and Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope asked for the removal of Cosby’s star in a letter addressed to the Chamber.
The letter was issued after revelations this week that Cosby admitted to obtaining Quaaludes with the intent of giving them to women with whom he wanted to have sex.
“Drugging and rape are serious crimes, and having a star on the Walk honoring Cosby after his admissions of these acts is a gross slap at the industry and the public,” Hutchinson and Ali wrote in the letter.
In its response, the Chamber quoted the late Johnny Grant, who chaired the Hollywood Walk of Fame Committee for many years, saying, “Stars are awarded for professional achievement to the world of entertainment and contributions to the community. A celebrity’s politics, philosophy, irrational behavior, outrageous remarks or anything like that have never been cause to remove a Walk of Fame star.”
A sexual violence awareness group is lobbying President Obama to revoke the former sitcom dad’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was awarded in 2002 by President George W. Bush.
The petition has garnered more than 2,300 signatures to date, and claims Cosby has lost in the court of public opinion.
Donald Trump is facing his own set of problems after making controversial comments about Mexican immigrants.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Trump said of illegal Mexican immigrants during his presidential announcement last month.
Macy’s, NBC and Univision have since severed ties with the real estate mogul.
The Chamber’s statement reflects a lesser-known fact about the Walk of Fame: It’s the celebrities themselves — or in many cases, their fan clubs — who assume the cost of the installation, which requires a $30,000 application fee plus ceremony and party costs if approved.