Dan McQuade

Dan McQuade (January 27, 1983 – January 28, 2026) was an American journalist and Philadelphia-based writer and community figure. He is best known for recording and reporting on a 2014 comedy performance by Hannibal Buress that referenced longstanding sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby, a video that circulated widely online. as sports editor, columnist, and managing editor of 34th Street Magazine. He won two Keystone Press Awards in college.

Over the following decade he freelanced for numerous outlets. At Comcast.com he was a producer, editor, and writer, covering local sports. Other endeavors included writing for Sports Illustrated, The Village Voice, New York Magazine, and Philadelphia Magazine. At Philadelphia, he led the digital news operation and wrote a weekly blog.

In 2017, he left the magazine and became a staff editor at Deadspin. He was part of mass resignations from the site in 2019 which occurred as a result of a mandate to publish only sports-related content. In 2020, he co-founded Defector Media with many other former Deadspin writers and worked for the site until his death.

Bill Cosby video In October 2014, McQuade attended a performance by comedian Hannibal Buress at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. During the set, Buress referenced longstanding allegations that Bill Cosby had committed sexual assault, which at the time had received limited public attention. McQuade recorded part of the performance on his mobile phone and later published the video along with an accompanying article. The video spread widely online, contributing to renewed public attention to the sexual assault allegations against Cosby. He died on January 28, 2026, one day after his 43rd birthday.

In 2019, McQuade married Jan Cohen, whom he met online, and they had one son.