Bill Cosby on Thursday was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004, and he faces up to 30 years in prison.

The sexual-assault allegations that brought Bill Cosby to trial were in part reignited by a 2014 stand-up bit in which the comedian Hannibal Buress joked about Cosby's "rape."

After footage of Buress' joke went viral, numerous women came forward to accuse Cosby of sexual misconduct.

On Thursday, Bill Cosby, 80, was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, and he could face up to 30 years in prison.

The sexual-assault allegations that brought Cosby to trial were in part reignited by a 2014 stand-up comedy bit at a club in Philadelphia in which the comedian Hannibal Buress joked about Cosby's "rape."

Mocking Cosby, Buress said: "Pull your pants up, black people. I was on TV in the '80s. I can talk down to you 'cause I had a successful sitcom."

"Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby," Buress added, "so turn the crazy down a couple notches."

Audience footage of Buress' joke subsequently went viral. (Warning: There is explicit language used in the video.)



Many people on social media vilified Cosby, and several news outlets picked up the subject. Cosby also faced persistent criticism from other notable comedians, including Judd Apatow.

Numerous women have come forward to accuse Cosby of sexual misconduct.

Thursday's verdict came after a two-week retrial during which prosecutors put five other women on the stand who testified that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them too. Constand's was the only criminal case to arise from allegations from his more than 60 accusers.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.