MELBOURNE, Fla. — For one night on a Florida stage, the weeks of headlines about sexual assaults disappeared and Bill Cosby regained the revered status he long enjoyed.

Friday’s show might have seemed destined for disaster for the comedian, who is enveloped in growing accusations of rape and sexual assault.

Additional Images

Comedian Bill Cosby waves to the crowd as he walks onstage at the beginning of his performance at the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, in Melbourne, Fla., Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. Performances by Cosby in Nevada, Illinois, Arizona, South Carolina and Washington state have been canceled as more women come forward accusing the entertainer of sexually assaulting them years ago. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

What he got, though, was an adoring audience that laughed so hard they slapped their knees, shouted love at the stage and rose to their feet as he came and went.

Just one protester stood outside, holding a sign that read, “Rape is no joke.”