Cosby Announces 'No Hard Feelings' Tour With Opener Hannibal Buress
HARRISBURG, PA—Since Bill Cosby’s release from prison, it has been rumored he would return to the stage. Some of his most fervent fans clamored for more material from the infamous predator. Others found the idea of him returning to the public eye offensive.
However, no one expected the latest announcement from the Cosby camp: the iconic comedian is not only returning to stand up but he will be joined on tour by Hannibal Buress.
It was a comedy set by Buress that created the firestorm that ended with Cosby’s conviction for aggravated indecent assault. Despite this, he jumped on the opportunity to work with Dr. Cosby. During a show in Houston, he commented on the announcement.
“Ay, man. I didn’t know my jokes could send people to jail. Can you imagine if I was doing comedy during the OJ trial? I shift history. But, yeah, Cosby called me up. I’m only going on tour with him as the designated drink taster. I’m gonna keep everybody safe.”
At that point in the set, someone screamed, “He’s innocent!”
Hannibal replied, “Nah, man. He’s definitely not. Imma get that Dr. Huxtable check though.”
Bill Cosby released a statement on the tour from his Montgomery County home.
“Every day in the penitentiary I thought about killing the boy. This Hannibal had ruined my life. Then, a man on my cellblock named Daeshawn pulled an iPhone out of his jail wallet. He showed me Hannibal’s comedy. The joke with the pickle juice on the sandwiches. He puts it on for flavor. Fabulous material. My people called Mr. Hannibal’s people and now we have the tour. No Hard Feelings. Tickets on sale through November.”
A big hurdle for the tour was finding venues to perform in. Live Nation had a high-level executive meeting to decide whether they would allow Bill Cosby to perform at their various affiliates. Michael Rapino, Live Nation CEO, was the deciding vote. When asked for a comment he said, “I’m not really a fan of this Hannibal guy, but I grew up on Cosby. I’ve seen the guy live and I’m happy to have him. The other board members weren’t really sure about tying Cosby with our brand. I mean, it’s not like people have stopped buying pudding pops. I’m here to do business.”
A recording of Cosby doing his first comedy set since being released has surfaced. He made an appearance at Fergie’s Pub in his native Philadelphia for an open mic comedy night. He was booed upon his entrance. After signing up for the mic, he was made to wait until 12:30 to perform. He finally shuffled onstage and sat down. He looked at his notebook and said “I don’t know if this is anything...but what is happening in the jail with the suboxone? Imagine my surprise when I’m convicted for drugging people, and they start passing out pills to everyone on the block. I don’t know, that killed in prison. I’ll keep working on it.”
