The actor who played Bill Cosby’s wife on TV for 12 years, Phylicia Rashad, spoke for the first time on Tuesday about the allegations of sexual assault that have been building against her former co-star.
In a “happenstance” meeting at a lunch for the release of the movie Selma, film critic and entertainment journalist Roger Friedman wrote on Showbiz411.com that Rashad said: “Forget these women.”
“What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy,” she continued, according to Friedman. “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.”
In the article, Rashad dismissed the allegations against Cosby by supermodels Janice Dickinson and Beverly Johnson with the words: “Oh, please.”
“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she added, according to the article. “And it’s worked. All his contracts have been cancelled.”
The context of the interview is unknown, and it is uncertain whether Rashad realised her comments would be published. In the article, Friedman said that Rashad had told him “I don’t want to become part of the public debate.”
Friedman did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment, and representatives for Rashad were also unavailable.
More than 20 women including Dickinson and Johnson have so far put their names to allegations of sexual assault against Cosby, with several of them also alleging that he drugged them.
Two additional plaintiffs added their names on Monday to a lawsuit against Cosby filed in the US district court in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Cosby is set to go ahead with the first of three shows in Canada on Wednesday evening. Protesters have said they plan to demonstrate outside the events.
An attorney representing Cosby, Martin Singer, was not available for comment. Cosby and his representatives have consistently denied the allegations against him, and he has never been charged with any offence.
