Bill Cosby Admits To Purchasing Quaaludes For Sex In 2005 Deposition, Loses Celebrity Support

Jill Scott is singing a different tune now that Bill Cosby’s newly released 2005 deposition proves he admitted to drugging women for sex, and the singer has withdrawn her support from the comedian.

Jill Scott Admits She Was Wrong About Bill Cosby

“About Bill Cosby. Sadly his own testimony offers PROOF of terrible deeds, which is ALL I have ever required to believe the accusations,” Scott tweeted on Monday after the release of Cosby’s 2005 court deposition.

Scott defended standing by Cosby despite the nearly 50 public accusations of sexual assault made against him this past year, implying she felt there was a chance that Cosby had been unfairly vilified as an African American man.

However, many on Twitter responded to Scott’s defense by challenging the singer as to why she didn’t take the over four dozen testimonies form alleged victims as proof. Scott ended her Twitter rant, saying that she was not going to argue with the people on Twitter, and clarified that she is not sorry for standing by Cosby for so long, writing, “No. I’m not sorry for standing by my mentor. I’m sorry the accusations [are true].”

Scott was one of the loudest defenders of Cosby when allegations of sexual assault and rape against the comedian snowballed in late 2014. Over forty women have since come forward to accuse Cosby of sexual misconduct dating as far back as the ’70s – many accuse Cosby of drugging and raping them. In December, 2014, after Cosby was forced to resign from Temple University’s Board of Trustees, Scott defended the comedian, whom she called her “mentor,” demanding proof. “Darling I’ve learned not to believe too much without proof. Especially about someone whose done so much for our greater good,” she tweeted to an angry follower who disagreed with her stance on Cosby.

At the time, Scott insisted that she was simply standing up for Cosby’s “legacy” – statements later backed up by The Cosby Show’s Phylicia Rashad – and even called the media coverage of Cosby’s alleged rapes “propaganda.” Scott’s defense of Cosby even earned her a thank you from Cosby himself when he made a rare appearance on Twitter on Dec. 3.

Meanwhile, Cosby’s other celebrity defender, Whoopi Goldberg, is still standing by Cosby, saying that Cosby’s deposition is still not enough proof to convince her of any wrongdoing. “And I say this because this is my opinion and in America, still, I know it’s a shock, we’re actually innocent until proven guilty. He has not been proven,” she said on The View.

Cosby Admits To Buying Quaaludes To Have Sex With Women

Cosby has not responded to the release of his 2005 court testimony, which appears to confirm the stories of multiple women who claimed Cosby drugged and raped them. After the AP compelled the release of Cosby’s deposition, a judge relented and finally released the court documents, which had been sealed after Cosby reached a settlement with the main plaintiff, Andrea Constand, a woman who accused Cosby of sexual assault.

Judge Eduardo C. Robreno explained his decision to release Cosby’s deposition, writing, “The stark contrast between Bill Cosby, the public moralist and Bill Cosby, the subject of serious allegations concerning improper (and perhaps criminal) conduct, is a matter as to which the AP – and by extension the public – has a significant interest.”

Robreno continued, adding that by placing himself as a “public moralist,” and by condemning women who have accused him of assault, Cosby forfeited a certain amount of his privacy. An attorney for Cosby, George Gowen, had attempted to argue that releasing the deposition documents would be a breach of privacy, but the judge disagreed, stating, “By joining the debate about the merits of the allegations against him, he has further diminished his entitlement to a claim of privacy.”

In the deposition, Cosby admits to buying Quaaludes with the intent to give them to young women so that he could have sex with them. He also confirmed that he had given one of the Jane Does in the case, who stated that Cosby drugged and raped her when she was 19, saying, “I meet Ms [REDACTED] in Las Vegas. She meets me back stage. I give her Quaaludes. We then have sex,” Cosby said referring to a woman he met backstage.

Cosby claimed that he received prescriptions for Quaaludes in the 70s, before the sedative was banned in the U.S. The drug had a reputation as a rape drug and was reportedly commonly referred to as “the love drug” and “thigh opener.”

Cosby Confessed To Offering Money To Accusers In “Educational Trust”

Moreover, Cosby also confessed to contacting an employee at William Morris Agency to give money to one of the Jane Doe and offering money to Constand for her “education” following the alleged assault. According to court documents, Constand only asked Cosby for an apology and for him to identify the drug he had given her (he insists it was Benadryl), but Cosby offered her money for an “educational trust” instead. The “educational trust” angle was one Cosby had used before, as the court documents state: “He further admitted that he had previously used the ‘educational trust’ device to pay one of the Rule 415 witnesses, when he believed that she was going to reveal their liason.”

Alleged Cosby Victims Feel Vindicated

While Cosby never admitted to raping women – or forcing them to take the Quaaludes he offered – the admission is being seen by many as one of guilt. Tamara Green, Linda Joy Traitz and Therese Serignese, who filed a defamation lawsuit against Cosby after he publicly dismissed their accusations, stated their satisfaction with the deposition through their lawyer. Their lawyer, Joe Cammarata, told reporters that the women feel vindicated by Cosby’s deposition, saying that his statements “support the victims’ allegations against him.”

Other alleged victims have also stated their relief and satisfaction with the release of the deposition and Cosby’s admission.

“First of all, I kept it a secret because I was afraid to talk about it, because of Mr. Cosby’s power. Then, when we came out, and lots of other women started to come out, we were called liars. I’m just so relieved that the truth has come out,” Joan Tarshis, who claimed Cosby raped her when she was 19, told CNN.

Cosby still maintains his innocence.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.