Phylicia Rashad, Bill Cosby’s co-star of 12 years as his TV wife – first on “The Cosby Show” and then on its sequel “Cosby”, has finally decided to speak with respect to the sex allegations surrounding Bill. She will always be remembered as the quintessential Claire Huxtable, wife of Dr. Huxtable, and mother of the Huxtable family – the ultimate and maybe now elusive African-American family.
No one knows Cosby better than the soft spoken, smart, articulate Rashad. So far she has not said a word about the scandal that has engulfed Cosby and is systematically destroying his 50 year career and reputation.
Until Now…….
Rashad, who is one of our greatest stage actresses, has kept quiet, and even reportedly said “I don’t want to become part of the public debate,” According to Shobiz411.
But she stands defiantly behind him.
She claimed 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.”
Rashad dismisses claims from both Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson. “Oh, please,” she said when their names came up. She also is quick to defend Camille Cosby. “This is a tough woman, a smart woman,” she told me. “She’s no pushover.” There is no question, Rashad said, that Camille Cosby has not been complicit or looked the other way as her husband terrorized women for the last 50 years.
She said, “Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” alluding to people other than the women. “And it’s worked. All his contracts have been cancelled.”
On The Cosby Show,” This show represented America to the outside world. This was the American family. And now you’re seeing it being destroyed. Why?” She said Cosby himself is probably too proud to raise a defense
About Cosby’s accusers? Rashad feels strongly that some other force is at play, for some reason, Cosby’s great strides in education, as well as show business, are being ruined so that new generations will only remember him by this scandal.
And what about a defense from the man himself? “If he spoke now, what do you think the media would do with it?” Rashad asked.
Seriously, if high profile black personalities like Mike Tyson and Tupac Shakur, both at the top of their respective professions then, could be prosecuted and jailed for rape in the 90’s – why in the world did these allegations failed to surface then?
UPDATE: On Wednesday night (07/01/2015), Rashad told Linsey Davis of ABC: “That is a misquote, and 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.”
When Davis told Rashad some perceived her comments as dismissive, Rashad responded: “I am a woman. I would never say such a thing.” But Rashad doubled down on her initial declaration a larger conspiracy to destroy Cosby was at work. “What has happened is declaration in the media of guilt without proof.” she said.
