Journalist Who Recorded Cosby Joke Dies at 43

Dan McQuade's 2014 video of a comedian calling Bill Cosby a rapist sparked intense scrutiny of the entertainer.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 5:15pm

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Dan McQuade, a Philadelphia journalist whose video of a standup comedian in 2014 calling Bill Cosby a rapist became an online sensation and spurred intense media and legal scrutiny of the powerful entertainer over allegations of sex crimes, died on Wednesday at the age of 43. His death was confirmed by his wife, and he had been diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2024.

Why it matters

McQuade's video of Hannibal Buress' joke about Cosby helped bring widespread attention to the numerous allegations of sexual assault against the famous comedian, leading more women to come forward and ultimately resulting in Cosby's conviction and later overturned sentence.

The details

On October 16, 2014, McQuade recorded Buress' standup routine in which he called out Cosby, saying 'Yeah, but you rape women, Bill Cosby, so turn the crazy down a couple notches.' At the time, Cosby had been accused by about a dozen women of drugging and assaulting them, though the allegations had not yet drawn widespread public attention. McQuade posted the video the next day, and it quickly went viral, prompting many more women to come forward with accusations against Cosby.

  • On October 16, 2014, McQuade recorded Buress' standup routine.
  • The next day, McQuade posted the video online.

The players

Dan McQuade

A Philadelphia journalist whose video of a comedian calling out Bill Cosby as a rapist in 2014 went viral and helped spur intense scrutiny of the entertainer over sexual assault allegations.

Hannibal Buress

An established stand-up comedian who, during a 2014 performance in Philadelphia, called out Bill Cosby as a rapist, with his comments recorded by McQuade.

Bill Cosby

A famous comedian and actor who was accused by over 50 women of sexual misconduct, leading to his conviction in 2018 which was later overturned.

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What they’re saying

“I just pulled my phone out and immediately hit record. And then when I finished, I was, like, 'That's a post.' It was newsworthy.”

— Dan McQuade, Journalist (Billy Penn)

The takeaway

McQuade's video of Buress' joke about Cosby helped bring widespread attention to the numerous sexual assault allegations against the famous comedian, leading to intense media scrutiny and legal consequences, though the ultimate outcome of Cosby's case remains complex.