Bill Cosby Cancels Shows At Boston's Wilbur Theatre

Updated: Feb. 8, 2015, 5:53 p.m.

BOSTON — Comedian Bill Cosby's two shows at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston were canceled Sunday, with a sign outside the Wilbur blaming the weather.

A demonstration had been planned outside the theater to protest the appearance of Cosby, who has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting 30 women between 1965 and 2004.

Former actress/model Helen Gumpel had planned to join the protests. Gumpel, an advocate for the victims, claims to have refused Cosby's advances in 1987. On Sunday afternoon, at a news conference here, Gumpel called the actor arrogant for continuing his national tour.

“Why does this man have to come out all the time? Does he like the attention?” she asked. “Why doesn’t he just hide for a minute? Why doesn’t he face all these women?”

Gumpel's lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, added, “Bill Cosby can cancel his shows, but he’s never going to silence these women.”

Gumpel and Garabedian hope to instigate an investigation into Cosby’s behavior and want him to be held accountable for his alleged violent actions toward women.

Gumpel, formerly known as Helen Selby, says Cosby had her sit on a couch in his dressing room, where he handed her a drink then stood in front of her with his crotch in her face. A Cosby spokesman didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The Wilbur Theatre posted an announcement on its website Sunday morning. The theater said tickets will be refunded where patrons purchased them. It apologized for the abrupt change but did not say why the shows were cancelled on the site. Cosby told The Boston Globe his decision to cancel was due to the impending "treacherous" weather.

This story also contains reporting from the Associated Press.