Bill Cosby has cultivated the image of a lovable comedian and one of TV's favorite dads.
But there's a dark side to the comic's story: Rape allegations by multiple women stretching back decades.
Cosby has repeatedly denied the allegations, but they resurfaced this week.
An online publicity stunt backfired so badly on Cosby, it's endangering the image he's spent a lifetime building.
The 77-year-old comedic genius who never swears onstage and played the wholesome Dr. Huxtable for years on the Cosby Show, is causing years-old sexual abuse allegations to resurface.
Cosby issued an online challenge Monday to caption classic photos of him, writing "go ahead meme me," which people did.
"Look at this wacky shirt I'm wearing - also I am a serial rapist," a person tweeted.
The rapist label stems from allegations made years ago, when several women came forward claiming they'd been sexually assaulted by Cosby.
He was never charged with a crime, but the allegations have lingered for years.
The subject was brought up last month in a standup act by comedian Hannibal Buress during a show in Philadelphia, where Cosby's wholesome image was mocked.
"I don't curse onstage, yeah but you're a rapist so..." Buress said.
The most detailed allegations against Cosby appeared in a lawsuit filed in 2005 by a Temple University employee who claimed she was drugged and assaulted. Police investigated but did not charge Cosby due to lack of evidence.
The same type of story was alleged by Tamara Green, who went public with her story nine years ago on the Today Show.
"He had gone from helping me to groping me and kissing me and touching me, and handling me and taking off my clothes," Green said.
Cosby has repeatedly denied sexually assaulting anyone through his attorneys.
Cosby has a new series with NBC that is supposed to debut next year. It's unclear how, if at all, this new look at old allegations will affect that show or the lasting image of a comedy icon.
CNN has not been able to independently confirm the allegations.
