Former ‘Cosby’ co-star Phylicia Rashad defends Bill Cosby against sexual assault allegations
Phylicia Rashad, best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," came to Bill Cosby’s defense yesterday, calling the various sexual assault claims against the comedian “orchestrated.”
Phylicia Rashad, best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show, came to Bill Cosby's defense yesterday, calling the various sexual assault claims against the comedian "orchestrated."
Rashad spoke with Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman about the allegations facing her former co-star at a luncheon for the Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic, Selma. Ultimately, she urged the public to "forget these women," additionally indicating some type of conspiracy aimed at the "destruction of a legacy."
Via Showbiz 411:
She did say to me "I love him" about Bill Cosby. She stands defiantly behind him. She told me that in the years she's known him, she has never seen the behavior alleged by the women who say they were drugged and raped, or sexually harassed.
"Forget these women," Rashad said. "What you're seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it's orchestrated. I don't know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy. And it's a legacy that is so important to the culture."
That line of thinking came out particularly strong when she was asked about accusers Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson, replying with a simple "Oh, please."
"Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV," she concludes to finish the interview. "And it's worked. …This show represented America to the outside world. This was the American family. And now you're seeing it being destroyed. Why?"
Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed last month against Cosby by accuser Tamara Green has grown with the addition of fellow alleged victims Therese Serignese and Linda Traitz. In that case, the trio claims that Cosby's representatives' repeated denials of their sexual assault claims have branded them liars in the eyes of the public.
Cosby, for his part, has a show scheduled in Kitchener, Ontario tonight, which is one of three scheduled shows for that area this week. More than 20 women have come forward to accuse him of sexual assault.