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Yesterday, we talked about Phylicia Rashad’s defense of Bill Cosby. She called his ongoing scandal “orchestrated” and insinuated that a mysterious force was trying to destroy the Cosby “legacy.” As many of you pointed out, Phylicia can’t be pleased about how TV Land’s cancellation of The Cosby Show reruns has affected her residuals. She gave a baffling, victim-blaming rant to journo Roger Friedman. He enthusiastically (and I infer this from his narration of events) published Phylicia’s quotes.
It was a big day for Cosby news. Gloria Allred held another press conference (a month after the first one) where she introduced the world to three more Cosby accusers. Gloria called out Rashad: “Phylicia, if anyone did to you or to your daughter, your sister or or your mother, what Cosby is alleged to have done to these women, I have no doubt that you would not be saying forget these women.” Yep. The “forget those women” will forever tarnish Rashad’s legacy. Now she claims to have been misquoted, for real. Rashad visited Nightline last night. I included a clip, but here she is digging a deeper hole:
The amazing Bill Cosby: “He’s a genius. He is generous. He’s kind. He’s inclusive.”
The problem: “What has happened is the declaration in the media of guilt … without proof.”
On “forget those women”: “That is a misquote. That is not what I said. What I said is ‘This is not about the women. This is about something else. This is about the obliteration of legacy.’
She was misquoted, for real? “I am a woman. I am a woman. I would never say such a thing.”
On the allegations: “I had never heard that before. And I can’t even speak to those things and don’t want to.”
Who would have a vested interest to “orchestrate” this? “That’s my question too.”
[From ABC – Nightline]
Huh. She completely denies saying “forget those women,” so it’s her word against Roger Friedman. He must be thrilled. What’s odd is that Rashad actually sounded worse as she tried to defend herself. “This is not about the women,” really? All of the allegations have everything to do with the victims, but Rashad refuses to open her eyes. All she sees is the marvelous Bill Cosby — who was the reason she was still making money in syndication. I guess maybe it’s not about women at all for Rashad. It’s only about her wallet.
Meanwhile, Cosby returned to the stage (for the first time since November) last night. After canceling about 10 concerts, he surfaced in Toronto to make cold weather jokes. How wholesome, right? His appearance was greeted by a dozen or so protesters and hundreds of fans.
Photos courtesy of WENN
Misquoted my a**
lol – busted more likely
When you’re in a hole – stop digging!
The Backtracking was so swift and hard I can see the smoke from her tires from all the way in Florida
Zing.
Okay, my comment isn’t about Bill Cosby, because when I lived in Los Angeles a friend’s girlfriend said someone she knew told her Bill Cosby had come on to her.
This is about the doubt (and the shade) that Phylicia Rashad wasn’t misquoted when we have all witnessed comments being taken out of context before. The whole “Angelina Jolie said she doesn’t have any friends” misquote is a sterling example of this, even though there is a video of Angie’s interview with Sanjay Gupta proving to all that her comment was taken out of context.
Yes, that can happen, but in this case she still insists that Cosby is an innocent man. And, she still dismisses the women, she just does it in a more neutral way.
The journalist is coming out in defense of Rashad saying the “forget the women” comment was meant as “women aside…”. Here is his statement:
“Let me clear something. I did not misquote Phylicia Rashad. But she didn’t mean for it to be taken the way it was, and I should have punctuated. There was NEVER the meaning in ‘Forget those women’ that she was saying to actually forget or dismiss then. She meant, ‘those women aside’ — as in, she’s not talking about that, she’s talking about Cosby’s legacy being destroyed. It was conversational. Somehow this got twisted. I am really sorry if the way I presented it made it seem like either one of us was forgetting anyone. … What Phylicia was doing was defending her friend and his legacy. That’s what she said, that’s what I wrote, I’m sorry if it caused her grief. And no one asked me to write this. I’m just saying it because I like and respect her.”
I’m not defending her in ANY way. I’m just sharing what the journalist is now saying.
How can you put “the women aside” and yet say that they are part of a conspiracy?
Or are they not part of a conspiracy, but somehow they all have the same stories, but none of it is true? Or is she addressing that it’s possible that their stories ARE true, but that they shouldn’t be considered because there is this other simultaneous conspiracy going on?
It still makes zero sense and they should stop trying to clarify because it only digs a deeper hole.
And if she really thought there was this vast conspiracy, wouldn’t she make it her mission to get to the bottom of it instead of eluding to shadowy figures that no one will ever uncover (also known as reasonable doubt through the invisible bogeyman?) Is the NSA, CIA or FBI involved? If she really thought that was the case, someone should delve into it, right?
People can surely be misquoted, or things truly taken out of context, happens all the time. BUT in this case Phylicia followed it up and reiterated the same point, just using different words – that the women, the victims, shouldn’t be considered here, just Cosby’s legacy. It’s all about his legacy. No matter which words she chose, she’s still saying the same thing.
And what the hell legacy is she talking about? He did some stand-up that was funny for the time, carried a gym bag around for Robert Culp in I Spy, played the doctor father in a sitcom that always seemed pretty white to me, and he shilled for jello pudding pops. That’s it. That’s his legacy. I don’t recall him being any great leader for the black community. Au contraire. Didn’t he bad mouth them every chance he got with his holier than thou superiority? I’d love to know what Lisa Bonet thinks of Rashad’s defense of Cosby.
#ByePhylicia
my question is, what does Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson have to gain from this? It can’t be money since they have their own. And to saddle yourself to this? We can’t get 2 people to agree on pizza toppings but 30+ women are all singing the same song? #byeFelicia
Amen.
#byephylicia
+1
Can’t believe it…I thought she was smarter and classier than this.
She comes off in the interview as cold, snobbish, and out of touch. We have to remember that the character Claire Huxtable was smart and classy. I doubt most of us really knew who Phylicia Rashad is in real life, until now. Side note, she really needs to lay off on the botox, bleaching creams, or whatever she has done to her face.
I always thought Claire Huxtable was cold and snobbish too.
I had been thinking the same thing. We really bought her TV persona, ugh.
I have no trouble believing Cosby made it worth her while to come forward. Gotta make up for those lost residuals.
+1
I figured either Cosby was behind it, or it’s all about the money (residuals). There’s no other reason to wait so long to support a guy if he’s so upstanding. Otherwise I feel people would have come out much, much sooner in his support.
Totally bought and paid for, which accounts for her emphatic, sudden support after such lengthy silence. So transparent.
@minx This has nothing to do with money imo. This is about showing loyalty to a friend. It’s twisted ,but this is about loyalty.
Agree. I don’t think she was paid off. I think she’s genuinely defending him because in her mind the person she knew/knows could not have done the things he’s accused of.
Classic denial. In situations like this persons close to the rapist/pedophile/murderer simply cannot reconcile the idea that they could love or highly regard a person capable of such things. They do not understand how the mind of a sociopath works, how they choose their victims or that the persona that’s presented to the world is not the real person.
When it comes down to it a lot of people will fight tooth and nail against the truth if it means being knocked completely off kilter in their world view.
I am not sure it is the residuals, as I think she is smart enough to know no matter what she says it won’t change anything. At this point I think the show is gone for a long time from any repeats.
I think she is loyal to him, and odds are she knows her Bill Cosby which isn’t the one the other women know. I think her new quote versus her “misquote” is only marginally better, and she still sounds like such a conspiracy theorist. She makes Keshia Knight Pulliam seem like a genius. Keshia was loyal without sounding dismissive and admitted she didn’t know.
I hope Gloria Allred doesn’t mess up this defamation suit stacking the deck with claims that are weak. Gloria is such a media hound that I don’t want her to mess this up and be more about her than the women. I wish they found someone who was more an accomplished lawyer not an accomplished television commentator lawyer.
There are many shows still in repeats from the 70s and 80s. TVLand (Viacom) shares the syndication rights for the Cosby Show. There were marathons planned for over Thanksgiving and Christmas that were cancelled.
Amazon streaming and Hulu also have rights to the Cosby Show. There was definitely still money to be made from the show.
Money talks & bullsh** walks.
Why isn’t there a womens rights organization as well known as PETA? That can weigh in on this and send info every time some vapid celebrity says she’s not a feminist because she loves to cook.
There’s NOW. National Organization for Women. Though they’ve been pretty silent lately come to think of it. They used to be very vocal in issues like this.
In my experience, NOW supports women when it serves their political agenda. They were standing shoulder to shoulder behind Anita Hill when she accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. An educated, articulate, successful woman and a conservative male. When Paula Jones came forward about Bill Clinton calling her up to his room or office on false pretenses and asking her for a blow job, a story that she immediately told a friend while sobbing, a story with more credible evidence that Anita Hill’s (though I believed Hill) there was a deafening silence from NOW. A poor, uneducated “nobody” against a man they adored. I am a feminist, but NOW supports a certain type of woman in a certain set of circumstances that fit their agenda.
NOW hasn’t been relevant for a generation. Women’s rights have devolved almost entirely to a focus on reproductive freedom.
This is why I now like the ACLU. I used to be pissed at some of their advocacy. I don’t always agree with the cases that they support, but at least they are consistent.
Here is NOW VP’s Chitra Panjabi’s official statement:
http://now.org/media-center/press-release/statement-from-now-vice-president-chitra-panjabi-regarding-bill-cosby-sexual-assault-allegations/
But I agree with y’all that they simply have not been vocal enough and it’s very disheartening.
NOW has lost a lot of sway and popularity, especially with younger generations of women. It is unfortunate because they do decent work, just nothing that is going to rock the boat. Releasing an official statement isn’t doing much quite honestly.
I agree & I did way more in college for feminism (2 kids & a career later I am shamefully not doing much) but NOW never seemed to jump on the issues I cared about or “make a splash”. I heard more about NOW in my college classes but not really went I advocated for rights or issues. I think we need an organization that is more vocal & unafraid to step on toes or offend. I even forgot about NOW when the question was raised about needing a PETA for feminism…..
But…this is absolutely about the women.
This is about protecting the men (from the top down) who use women. Cosby and the Duke of York need to come down – men need to understand their accountability in the world of women. We have liked these two men, they have redeeming qualities; however, it must be put in stone – this behavior will not be tolerated by women, or society. Starting at the top is a very good place to begin.
Rashad and her monies…such a trap for everyone.
What you said. How is this not about the women? And if she can’t come up with even one legitimate theory on who might be behind this alleged attempt to destroy a legacy, then why go there?
STFU up Phylicia and sit your self-serving ass down!!!
I agree with you wholeheartedly. In a more long-winded approach, I said something similar down thread. 🙂
“‘This is not about the women.” is a paraphrased version of “Forget these women”.
She’s doubling down. What’s so different than the intent of the quote yesterday? She’s still dismissing any possibility of legitimacy to ANY of their claims.
yes exactly. “I am a woman, I would never say such a thing”…
ummm you just did, twice
I think she means that this is coming from The Great Conspiracy To End The Legacy. It’s about Bringing Down Cosby, not about the women. That was in no way a defense of her, and it is just as stupid, and just as dismissive of the women, and again assumes they are all being paid by someone to lie. But I think in her mind, there’s a difference. Which is pathetic, and makes me even more disappointed in her.
Here’s the thing I am afraid to say, but I’m just going to ask. Is she implying that some group of white people want Cosby destroyed because he’s a successful black male? Because I hate to tell her, but conservative white people love Cosby and his comments about black youth.
It was painful to watch her. I have long admired her elegance and grace. How could she be so willfully blind?
“Because I hate to tell her, but conservative white people love Cosby and his comments about black youth.”
Ohmygodyes. This so so much. In the eyes of the extreme right, Cosby’s an *acceptable*, wholesome, straight-laced black man. Bonus points for him criticizing some blacks for their behavior and style of dress.
This sums it up and is well worth the read if anyone has time:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-bill-cosby-conservatives-blacks-sexual-assault-perspec-1118-20141117-story.html
There is no difference, though. The women are either tools of someone’s larger agenda or they are making claims for their own enrichment or attention, based on her comment. In other words, none of the women are telling the truth about abuse, so their claims should be dismissed without contemplation, as you said. She should have left it at the first comment since she is saying exactly the same thing she said already.
From what I’ve read, it appears that some ‘group’ didn’t want to see Cosby, a rich powerful black man, buy a network some years back, so they concocted this drug/rape story, as the conspiracy goes. So I’m assuming it wouldn’t likely be another rich powerful black man perpetrating this scheme. Although it’s interesting to note that a black comedian made a joke about this and drew the attention back on to past allegations. I guess he was paid by the shadow conspirators, as well.
Don’t be afraid to say it. You’re right. There is a reason why Cosby was embraced by whites as well as African-Americans and it is because he intentionally set out to do so and was highly successful at it. By all accounts he presents himself as a conservative. Let’s face it – most minority people are liberal. Rashad’s comments, much like Cosby’s own since this came to light again recently, are very much implying that this is a cultural issue. They can be as vague as they want, but they’re playing the race card, and at a very sensitive time for this country. I hate him almost as much for his current attempts to manipulate the masses as I do for the rapes. He is truly vile and if Rashad is jumping on the wagon, she is too.
I guess I’m one of those who watched both Fat Albert and then the Cosby show- and television was my God, parent, sibling,family, religion etc. I’m having a really hard time taking this all in. My BB brain believes he did this; I truly believe the testimony of Beverley Johnson and Angie Dickenson. However, is the drugging and or raping part of the old school “casting couch” techniques? And how many creepy white producer/directors got away with this? My point is to ask if this was an epidemic despite the race of the perpetrator. (Please correct/inform me on this one, I was raised by tv but finally getting an education in my 40s)
Homegrrrrl, I don’t know the answer. I’m sure that pre-sexual harassment laws, there were many, many creepy old white guys who coerced less powerful people to have sex with them. (Not that it has been eradicated, but at least, hopefully, people think twice). And the atmosphere was so different – all the power was on the side of the predator – no one would believe you, you’ll never work again, etc. But I think two things – one, this is extreme, both in method and in number, and two, that doesn’t make it ok. I know you weren’t saying it did, but even if “everybody was doing it” it’s still about who he is as a person and what his victims have gone through.
@Homegrrrrl-I don’t think it was casting-couch related, although it’s true that some of the rapes happened when Cosby was in a position of helping the victim professionally.
But whether he took advantage of a woman who looked up to him (one of the victims described him as a “father figure or favorite uncle”), or whether she was a casual acquaintance, or an industry colleague, the underlying pattern is one of Cosby exploiting these women’s blind trust for him.
If you read about the rape cases, that’s the common theme:
“he was like a father figure or favorite uncle.”
“he was a regular client”
“he invited me to see his show”
“he seemed so nice”
These comments all speak to a level of comfort and familiarity that Cosby’s victims had with him, which makes sense if your MO is to drug and rape a woman. Whether the act will come to fruition is largely contingent upon the victim displaying a level of trust to the point of being off-guard. Even just being able to accept a drink from someone, there’s an implied trust there.
To take it a step further and say that Cosby very much used his public persona as a lure, as a way to assure women that they were safe with him.
“I’m harmless, I’m America’s Dad”.
It’s extremely manipulative to the point of being demonic, if you really think about it.
Do white dudes in a position of power use that power to victimize women?
Oh hell yeah. Probably every day.
But I urge you, homegrrrrl, to read the chilling details about Cosby’s rape victims because you’ll very quickly get a sense of how little regard this man has for women. Just think of how deeply disturbed an individual has to be to want to have sex with a woman who is unconscious.
This isn’t a “you give me a BJ and I’ll give you a role on my show” this is “I’m going to drug you and rape you and you’ll never even know what happened.”
Kitten, Yeah I always looked at the casting couch scenario as a quid pro quo arrangement. Not being knocked out and raped beyond the ability to consent. It’s not like there was a party where Bill was doing drugs with them. And how many of these women who came forth actually acquired work on his shows?
To my knowledge Barbara Bowman and Beverly Johnson were the only two women that were hoping Cosby could get them a professional acting opportunity.
Also, to my earlier point:
“Before the incident she describes in the essay, she says she had met Cosby twice before, including one time at his home with her daughter.
‘Looking back, that first invite from Cosby to his home seems like part of a perfectly laid-out plan,’ she explains in her essay. ‘A way to make me feel secure with him at all times. It worked like a charm. Cosby suggested I come back to his house a few days later to read for the part. I agreed, and one late afternoon the following weekend I returned.’ ”
He went out of his way to make himself seem as unthreatening as possible in order to gain her trust.
Dude is just mad gross.
No sh*t, I agree that’s exactly what she’s saying. “Forget these women.” “This isn’t about those women.” Interchangeable. What’s left? “These women don’t matter.” Apparently all that matters to Rashad is the legacy of a rich and famous rapist whose legacy she needs in order to have her own legacy. No self-interest there.
Yep. 100% agree, Lahdidahbaby.
Yes, exactly. It seems it’s really all about one woman – her.
+1
I pondered when she said a couple times that the show portrayed an “American Family” & there was a conspiracy to ruin that. I don’t think her emphasizing “American” a few times was an accident. Cosby was popular with conservatives so I wonder if it is flip flopping & they are now saying conservatives are behind this to take down Cosby? Or if she was trying to invoke feelings of outsiders? Or maybe it’s the liberals? Racists? I’m not sure what she was trying to say but I think it was something….. And I think it’s a group (victims) trying to take down a rapist but that might be too risky a thought for PR & HER “legacy”.
Truly, I hadn’t even thought of the race card. Cosby and the Duke of York are alike – simple!
“Who would have a vested interest to orchestrate this?” “Thats my question, too”.
Good question! Who would want to pay all these women to come forward, to make allegations about a man who hasn’t been relevant since his TV show in the 1980’s? Jessie Ventura needs to look into these consipracy theories!!! Doesn’t she know how stupid she sounds???
I think what she doesn’t get, or get’s but doesn’t care, is the “orchestration” was the 40 plus years this was swept under the rug and ignored because it was….BILL COSBY. America’s Dad would never do such a thing.
*eyes roll around on the floor*
Oh, MrsBPitt! Jessie Ventura is the perfect answer to all of this. BRAVO!
How do you guys not see it? This was obviously all a plot brought on by Chris Rock. He had Buriss tell the joke to get the issues back in the spotlight and has carefully crafted all of this within the media to knock Cosby off of his throne. Chris is ready to take Cosby’s place.
Seriously though, I don’t mean to make a joke of the situation, I just don’t understand this conspiracy theory stuff. I’m so disappointed in Phylicia. =(
I think a very strong group has a vested interest in this “take down”- his victims, other victims of rape, women & men who want to see rape diminished & not let this pos have one more victim. Otherwise I don’t see any other group wanting to (and orchestrating for more then 10 yrs) to take down the jello man. It appears she drank his tea (oh crap I wrote that & then realized the implications but I’m leaving it).
I don’t see how anyone could be dismissive of these claims after Beverly Johnson spoke out.
What would be her motivation? What does she have to gain?
You can’t use the “she’s a crackpot attention whore” line against her the way many do with Janice Dickinson (FWIW I believe Janice too.)
To me that should have been a game changer as far as public opinion goes.
Bedhead, you forgot to say that Cosby was greeted by a STANDING OVATION last night.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30723422
That’s shameful…but then who besides his supporters would even show up to see him at this point?
I read there were a handful of protestors that showed up, hoping to be seen by him. At least there’s that.
But I’m not surprised. If Chris Brown, Michael Jackson, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Ray Rice, Charlie Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Mike Tyson and Sean Penn and dozens of others have been forgiven, why not Cosby? Apologists lurk everywhere with the most idiotic, uninformed and self-righteous acceptance of men that have done horrendous things to women. I’ll never understand how talent excuses behavior.
Lamest attempt at back-pedalling I’ve seen in a long time. #ByePhylicia
Sounds like Phylicia was just told by someone(agent perhaps) a upcoming project could be cancelled a la Cosby if she didn’t backtrack on her comments.
His check to her must be huge.
People wanted her opinion just to pick it apart.
The man she knew is who she is defending.
And yes all the work he did is now being throw away because of this scandal.
It is what it is.
I think people were interested to see if she could offer insight since she was SO quiet for so long. I fully comprehend that she knew or saw him in a specific way, and doesn’t want or can’t see beyond her relationship with him.
But she has gone beyond her knowledge and personal experience, by outright condemning the accusers. So she was not so much defending, as much as putting out an offensive blow.
I think she was holding out to see what kind of a financial arrangement she could work out with him, or she panicked about the residuals drying up so she came forward with a defense.
Either way, I think there was intention, and planning behind her delayed response. It feels very premeditated. I also think that she’s a smart woman—she’s defending her portion of the Cosby empire as best she can.
Well said Kiddo & Kitten. I understand what Ali is saying but did want to add that his work is being thrown away not because of ” this scandal” that just got attention but because he raped women for decades. I know it’s semantics but when I hear “scandal” it makes me think of orchestrating.
She changed the words but said the same thing.
She’s still saying his “legacy” is more important, and still saying it’s a conspiracy to bring him down, which means she’s accusing all of those women of lying.
I can understand her being defensive; not wanting this to be true…. this isn’t just about Cosby’s legacy – it’s about hers too… That said she should just shut up and stay out of it. She was an ‘innocent bystander’ before; now she’s made herself part of the problem.
Because the thing is, this is not about HER, is it?
Damage control, quick!
I’m more convinced now that he paid her — she’s basically reading off his script.
He needed someone from the show to come in support and Rashad was the best bet because she played his wife, BUT she definitely asked for coin. And I’m sure A LOT of it. I hope it was worth f*cking up her own image for.
As a Torontonian, I just want to point out that he was not in Toronto…he was in Kitchener. It’s a good 1-1.5 hours outside of Toronto.
Not only that. The venue has had word out since December that they did not bring Cosby to Kitchener and that it was a third party promoter who rented the Centre in the Square. While the 2000 person venue was 2/3 full, a secondary concert event at a local nightclub had 400 people attend and raised about $10,000 for local support services for victims of sexual assault as a response to him performing in Kitchener. It will be interesting to see what happens in Hamilton and London for his next 2 shows.
I’m glad to hear that some people were proactive and took it as an opportunity to do something good, raising money like that. That’s the best kind of protest, IMO – standing up against something terrible and using it to help others.
That’s awesome.
Haha, I don’t blame you for specifying. I have a cousin in Guelph at the moment and she’s like “That shits not near me” and I had just actually checked to make sure he wasn’t doing any shows in Nova Scotia.
I heard he got a small standing ovation last night. I hope his welcome in Hamilton is as cold as our temperatures.
ShazBot- awesome comment. I’d want to keep this guy out of my city & my city’s name too!
I was re-watching The Cosby Show a couple of years ago, before any of this came out, and these days, as an adult, I couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable she looked every time Cosby touched her on the show. She often had this body language/facial expression like she felt that he was being inappropriately grabby… which came across as a bit jarring, since they were playing an affectionate married couple. I wondered if he was a bit of a sleaze behind the scenes.
When these allegations came out, I was so sure she’d be one of the first cast members who’d have an “Aha, I *knew* he was sleazy!” moment and, at the very least least, refuse to comment. But here she is, defending him…
Maybe she’s one those women with a 50’s upbringing/mindset, who believes that a bit of “innocent” ass grabbing and sexual innuendo at work is just “boys being boys”.
Ditto. To me, she always appeared uncomfortable when he touched her and I felt that she always used to side eye him during interviews. Before all the this I just assumed she didn’t like him.
I am really disappointed with how she is responding. I know she only played an attorney on TV, but I always admired her for it. If she doesn’t believe the allegations, she has a right to defend him. But, to be so dismissive and insensitive, even after she had time to reflect….smh. I have lost a lot of respect for her.
Here is the thing even if you went into full conspiracy mode and want to believe that Cosby was exposed for some white supremist agenda (I dont).
The allegations are too serious to ignore. The rights of these women ARE so much more important. How dare she put her need to believe in Cosby’s legacy above the rights and safety of his accusers.
There’s not much else to say that hasn’t already about what she has said. The “forget these women” comment made my heart break for these women and all women who are dismissed and not believed when coming forward with rape / sexual assault allegations. Each time this is done, it makes it so much harder for other women to tell their story.
On another note, Lisa Bonet is the one I really want to hear from.
Yes, I’d like to hear from Lisa. (side note – her daughters are fabulously beautiful!).
She supposedly talked to Friedman informally, which I mentioned yesterday gave her an excellent opportunity to claim she was misquoted if the blowback was too much.
She is worried about her own bank account, period.
Rashad is just a stooge for Cosby.
Selling out dozens of victims in order to float some far-fetched conspiracy theory.
If Cosby is innocent and concerned about his legacy he’d have filed at least one defamation lawsuit by now. The reason that won’t happen is that while he is currently untouchable, both criminally and civilly, testifying under oath could subject himself to perjury charges.
No, it’s all about the residuals that she won’t be getting now.
I think people are over-simplifying her by claiming her only concern is money. The woman had a ridiculously successful show in the 80/90’s, a sterling reputation, managed to work on many more shows and movies past that and is often called to speak at events. To be frank bitch is probably more loaded than the mattress of a mobster.
I really think she just refuses to see him for what he is. Same with Jill Scott and others who defend him. They don’t want to see and if a 100 women came forward they’d use that to discredit the situation further. “He raped 100 women? Really? How did he pull that off huh?”
The reality is she got the Cosby brand of kool-aid firsthand, she may be as screwed up mentally as some of his victims (still kept in contact with him and saw him as a good man). Or maybe she’s as twisted as him, I dunno, but making this about money just feels like a cheap way not to confront the real issue. Some people will look evil in the face and deny its existance.
I would agree with that, but then why not vehemently speak out in his defense right from the start?
Why the delayed response?
I guess that’s why she gets the side-eye from me.
Yeah, I do think that she’s unable to reconcile her image of him with the image that the rape victims are describing (hello cognitive dissidence). But I also think that as a savvy woman with a public image and wealth to protect, she doesn’t make any public statements without running it by her lawyer first. I could absolutely envision a scenario where a lot of back-and-forth was happening between her and her people, deciding whether she should issue a public statement or not. In the end, I could also see a lawyer telling her that the best financial decision for her is to come forward with a public statement defending him.
It doesn’t mean that she knows he’s guilty and is willfully ignoring it in favor of the almighty dollar–quite the contrary. She genuinely believes he’s an upstanding man, but that doesn’t negate the fact that ultimately, she has her own interests to protect in this situation. That doesn’t make her an evil, money-hungry person, that just makes her a smart business woman.
Because in the end, the people who will keep watching Cosby and keep that money rolling in are the people who WANT to believe he is innocent. These are the same people who want Phylicia to say that he’s a good man, to reassure them that the man she knows is the benign Dad that we grew up watching. That’s who she’s pandering to because she knows the rest of us won’t change our minds and won’t be watching The Cosby Show again, regardless of what Phylicia has to say about it.
Who would be put to get Bill Cosby? Seriously? Everyone in my generation loved him. I’m 40 and white and he was the dad I wanted to have. Seriously. The Huxtables were my role model family growing up. I know a lot of other people my age and they feel the same way. Divorce hit my generation hard and most of our parents didn’t handle it with grace and love. The Huxtables seemed to get it right. Old white people loved him. Old black people loved him. The only people that didn’t were young black people because he constantly shot his mouth off about things he knew nothing about. He developed a classic “get of my lawn” mentality. Young white kids don’t even know who he is.
So who does that leave? No one with any sort of agenda to take down a 77 year old man who tours around occasionally and makes entertaining yet meaningless appearances on talk shows. It’s not like Cosby was still a kingmaker in Hollywood.
Also, in my experience with middle aged women, they don’t like to talk about being drugged and sexually assaulted. It’s not like they are the “selfie generation”.
Does anyone know how many of the known victims are white and how many are black?
Prior to these recent allegations, Cosby was set to star in a new television sitcom.
He probably accumulated his share of enemies in the entertainment industry and elsewhere.
I agree & I grew up with the Cosby show. Most people I know (when they first hear the story) gasp & say “poor Cosby!” Then they stop & say ” what a sicko!” My point is that people loved him & most of the public didn’t want to believe this at first (me included). It makes us sad that this man we grew up with loving was doing this. I also know a lot of women who have been raped & I only know one that is vocal about it. Our generation & older ones (I’m late 30s) still have a lot if shame & coming out that you’ve been raped is not treated as a badge of honor but quite the opposite in my experiences. I just don’t see the motivation these women have or the public believing them other then the truth.
Plus, allegedly, he threw money at some of these women he raped afterward, so that he could establish that he considered them prostitutes. Talk about shame.
I know people who worked with him likely didn’t know this side of him but I have to wonder about people on the show ever having any suspicions when Cosby would personally pick or advise on the women playing patients on the show. I remember beautiful young women playing patients (I always thought it weird that he had an Obgyn office in his basement) & accusers have said he used this to lure them. Didn’t anyone find it odd that he would personally interview these women at his home? On an unimportant side note- I can never chair dance again 🙁
I’ve not yet read through the entire thread of comments yet, so forgive me if this is a repeat of someone else’s sentiment, but as a woman, I find it annoying (at the very least) that Phylicia Rashad didn’t even express any sadness or concern for what these women have gone/are going through or are feeling. Even if she is Cosby’s friend and has a hard time believing that he could possibly commit such horrible acts, isn’t there even a tiny piece of her heart that goes out to any fellow human being who is suffering the way these women are? Has she truly convinced herself that literally dozens of women are all in cahoots to topple some old man because of some political comment(s) he made? That’s nuts to me. And close-minded.
Phylicia Rashad.., please. The first day I heard of the accusations of BC resurfacing, I wondered if, and how, Phylicia would respond. Time went by, and I remembered to myself, I wouldn’t want to tangle with that lady in a words of war…that’s for sure…as I remembered her as being classy & intelligent. I also remembered that she wouldn’t reveal details about her ex either, that being said, she was respectful. Well, Ms. Phylicia, you no longer have my personal respect, since today, after your selective phrasing, and changing your tune about how abrasive and dismissive you sounded yesterday…’forget those women’.. She now looks to me as very smug..(like, can she purse the lips a slight bit more, and look down her nose just a little bit more?). She seems naive (except that a grown a$$ woman her age, in her environment, would more be called “selective thinking”, than naive.
Maybe my opinion of her interview seems harsh, but all I would like to know is this….PR…if you think these women are lying, and powerful people are simply trying to ruin a “legacy.”…which apparently must somehow include you… being an award winning actress and all… then woman-up and say…Who and Why…for pete’s sake. Hey, some of us want to know if there some kind of thing going on, and someone is out to get someone, conspiracy-wise. If you are so smart, high class, and in-the-know… speak up. Otherwise, you are nothing to some of us any longer. Just like Bill. You trampled your own legacy…no assistance needed. There is way too much evidence, too many years of accusations, too many rich and powerful people on his side, and for her to so snottily dismiss that….just puke. I LOVED that show, and everyone on. For years now, he has given me the creeps. Now I know why. Hearing her now, I say she just should have kept her nose down. Literally.
Yeah. I think if someone is genuinely out to ruin Bill Cosby, couldn’t he get his legion of pitbill lawyers and investigators on the case? I realize they are very busy at work digging up dirt on the accusers, but “these women aside’, wouldn’t you want to get the mastermind, instead?
Also, didn’t he call the police when his daughter or alleged daughter tried to blackmail him? And made a big deal about not bargaining with her? Then why did he pay one or two of these women a settlement, if he’s so innocent? The whole thing is just ridiculous.
Apologies on behalf of Canada, that people came to his recent show.
Don’t worry, I’m sure there are as many idiots who would show up in the US if he did a show. There’s always some rotten apples.
Roger Friedman has come out now to clarify the quote. It’s on http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/01/07/clearing-up-what-phylicia-rashad-said-meant-and-how-i-wrote-it