In Cosby's case it wasn't just the wholesome "The Cosby Show" that he starred in, but the books and public speaking engagements where he talked about culture and society, particularly black culture. There was some blowback from that and the Far Left has been waiting to jump on him for anything. He did it to himself in this case, sadly. His wife was interviewed and is basically okay that he cheated on her.
The dude has been a national celebrity since the 1960s thanks to his stand-up (one of the all-time greats) and his TV series I SPY then add COSBY SHOW (one of the biggest hit programs of the 1980s), people loved him. Hell it's why won he got the Presidential Medal of Freedom, nobody thought twice about him.
Joe Paterno once upon a time was viewed as one of the "good guys" in college footage. Nobody believes that now.
