Ever since the Bill Cosby scandal erupted late last year, we’ve heard sporadic accounts of what a few of the “Huxtables” think about their TV “Pops” being accused of various sexual assaults, but we haven’t heard from all of them. Just in case you were curious about where “Theo,” “Vanessa,” “Rudy,” “Olivia,” “Claire” and “Denise” stand on this, here it is…
Phylicia Rashad (“Claire”)
Ever since the more recent allegations against Cosby and the deposition came out regarding the quaaludes Cosby purchased, Rashad has been real hush – hush about this. If you recall back in January, she said she was misquoted after speaking out in support of Cosby.
She once said “Forget those women,” and then slammed the claims women were making against Cosby, including models Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson.
She also said “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 … Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV, and it’s worked. All his contracts have been canceled.”
Although Rashad said she was misquoted she still stood behind her words which defended Cosby’s legacy. She told ABC news that what she actually said was this: “What I said is this is not about the women. This is about something else. This is about the obliteration of a legacy…I am a woman. I would never say such a thing.”
Keshia Knight Pulliam (“Rudy”)
Keshia Knight Pulliam told USA TODAY that the accusations being made by dozens of women is “just not the man I know.”
“All I can speak to is the man I know and I love the fact that he has been such an example [and] you can’t take away from the great that he has done, the millions and millions of dollars he has given back to colleges and education, and just what he did with the Cosby Show and how groundbreaking that was,” Keshia told TODAY.
Keshia also defended Cosby’s legacy when she said this to Wendy Williams: “The Cosbys, we were the first family that no matter what race, religion, you saw yourself in. At the end of the day they are allegations. … I don’t have that story to tell.”
Malcolm Jamal Warner (“Theo”)
Malcom-Jamal Warner, has pretty much given us the sound of crickets when it comes to his mentor, Bill Cosby. He did manage to make this one statement though: “He’s one of my mentors, and he’s been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor. The Bill Cosby I know has been great to me and great for a lot of people. What he’s done for comedy and television has been legendary and history-making.”
“What he’s done for the Black community and education has been invaluable. That’s the Bill Cosby I know.”
When asked directly about the Cosby allegations, Malcolm said: “I wasn’t there. I can’t speak on the other stuff. Just as it’s painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it’s just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this.”
