Bill Cosby’s first stop on his American standup tour went without a hitch after a week in which several more women came forward to accuse him of sexual assault.

Cosby was greeted by a standing ovation at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Florida. But the comedian made no mention of the controversy during his sold­-out, 90-minute routine.

Some of those who attended said they feared the show would be picketed or, worse, interrupted by protesters. An Orlando radio show host offered hecklers cash to harass the comedian.

Instead, the only interruption came from a group of supporters who shouted “We love you, Bill Cosby!” during his standup set. The comic held up a closed fist in response.

A lonely group of protesters stood at the end of a long driveway leading to the venue, holding signs. Three Melbourne police cars and a motorcycle stood between them and the theatre.

“I thought there would be more people protesting,” said Tamara Allredge, 46. She drove more than hour from Orlando to find only three other protesters, one of them 13­ years ­old.

“I feel like all these women who have come forward have been vilified,” Allredge said. “I think empty seats and protesters can speak volumes just as his silence speaks volumes,” she said, holding a sign with the words “victim shaming” crossed out.

“He always seemed like a standup guy,” said 47­-year-­old Julie LeMaitre from nearby Rockledge. She held up her own sign reading “Rape Is No Joke”.

“I don’t think he will regain the reverence he once had,” LeMaitre said. “I think it will be hard for him to come back from this.”

That remains unclear. Several of Cosby’s coming shows have already been cancelled. NBC has dropped a deal for a new Cosby sitcom, and TV Land has axed reruns of The Cosby Show.

On Thursday, Netflix postponed indefinitely his 28 November special. The television shows, along with a new biography, were supposed to mark a major comeback for the 77-­year­-old. Instead, Cosby finds himself confronted by a growing list of women accusers.

But the accusations did not penetrate Cosby’s performance. Appearing on stage in baggy grey cargo pants and his usual “Hello Friend” grey sweatshirt – an homage to his son Ennis who was killed in a robbery in 1997 – Cosby gave a thumbs-up to the standing ovation.

Then he launched into roughly the same routine as in recent performances outside the US, rolling around on the floor at times and appearing unaffected by the storm of controversy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. And goodnight,” he said as he pulled off his microphone after an exhausting monologue that lasted an hour and a half.

His audience seemed equally unfazed by the rape allegations.

“I grew up listening to his records,” said Judy Pollard, while taking a smoke break from the performance.

She had bought her ticket the day they went on sale and never had second thoughts about attending.

“It’s nice to know that Melbourne is still civilised,” Pollard said, glancing around at the quiet scene around the theatre, where TV camera crews outnumbered protesters.

One after another, Cosby’s fans repeated a similar refrain: innocent until proven guilty.

“The accusations are 30 years old,” said Judi Schatte from Rockledge. “It’s the same people as before. They couldn’t prove it back then when they did an investigation and they can’t prove it now. People just want money from him.”

Dottie Lyne, 82, said: “I think the accusations are ridiculous. We really do believe in him. And if you saw him tonight, you would too.”

Lyne and her husband, Richard, 85, were joined at the performance by almost 40 of their fellow members from the First United Methodist church in Vero Beach. Richard Lyne said the rape allegations had not stained Cosby’s reputation.

“He kept it nice and clean tonight. No cuss words,” Lyne said. “Damnation was the worst thing he said.”

Many audience members said they were more upset at the media coverage of the controversy than the allegations.

“I think a lot of stuff gets blown out of proportion by the media frenzy,” said Zachary Lawson, 23.

“We are here to see a standup comedian,” said Ray Hirst, 79. “His personal life is his personal life.”

The evening went so quietly that it was one of Cosby’s supporters, not a protester, who made the most noise outside the theatre. Wendy Daly took it upon herself to stand on the corner, shouting “Innocent until proven guilty!” at passing cars. Daly, a 50-­year­-old hospice provider from Melbourne, clutched a sign reading “Welcome Mr Cosby. We Believe in you”, and a stuffed doll depicting Dr Seuss’s the Grinch who stole Christmas.

“The media should not step in with negative stories just for the sake of ratings,” she said.

She did not want to accuse Cosby’s accusers of lying, but the comedian deserved a day in court before being judged. Asked whether the Grinch represented the media, she nodded.

“I don’t want them to steal Mr Cosby’s Christmas,” she said.

Cosby’s attorney, Martin Singer, said in a statement on Friday that the accusations by women with “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40 or even 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdity”.

“Over and over again, we have refuted these new unsubstantiated stories with documentary evidence, only to have a new uncorroborated story crop up out of the woodwork,” he said.

“When will it end? It is long past time for this media vilification of Mr Cosby to stop.”