Phylicia Rashad, who played Bill Cosby’s wife on The Cosby Show, defended Cosby against all the rape allegations against him, saying, “Forget these women.”

Phylicia Rashad Defends Bill Cosby

While The Cosby Show co-star, Keshia Knight Pulliam, recently chose not to comment on the wave of women accusing Cosby of sexual assault, Rashad spoke openly about her belief that the accusations – a total of almost 30 from women who say they were drugged and assaulted by the comedian – were part of some organized conspiracy.

“Forget these women. 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 told a reporter at a Selma event.

Rashad dismissed any and all claims of inappropriate behavior, claiming she never witnessed any kind of predatory behavior from Cosby. Rashad also dismissed the idea that Cosby’s wife of over 50 years, Camille Cosby, was somehow complicit or ignorant of her husband’s alleged illegal behavior. “This is a tough woman, a smart woman. She’s no pushover,” Rashad is quoted as saying.

“Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV. And it’s worked. All his contracts have been canceled,” Rashad said. “This show represented America to the outside world. This was the American family. And now you’re seeing it being destroyed. Why?”

In light of the allegations against Cosby, TV Land has pulled Cosby Show reruns, his comedy special on Netflix was put on hold and his television program in development with NBC was canceled. He is still, however, successfully touring and performing stand up to sold-out crowds. All the while, Cosby has refused to speak to the media about the allegations, though his wife did release a statement claiming that Cosby “is the man you thought you knew.”

Twitter Backlash

The backlash to Rashad’s statements – particularly the phrase, “Forget these women” – was swift.

Judd Apatow Responds To Rashad

Judd Apatow, who has been publicly outing venues hosting Cosby’s stand up tour, dismissed Rashad’s claim that the accusations against Cosby were a conspiracy to ruin the comedian’s legacy in a series of Tweets, writing, “Bill Cosby orchestrated all of it. It is tragic. Nobody cares about him enough to create some conspiracy. He just hurt people.”

Three More Women Come Forward

Meanwhile, three new accusers went public on Wednesday in a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, who is already representing a handful of women accusing Cosby of rape and sexual assault. Linda Kirkpatrick, Lynn Neal and a woman named Kacey came forward Wednesday, all with stories similar to previous allegations against Cosby.

Kacey told reporters that she met Cosby while working at the agency WMA and was invited over to his house to read a script with him that required the two to kiss. She also claimed that in a separate incident, Cosby drugged her during a meeting at the Hotel Bel-Air and she blacked out. When she awoke, she found herself in bed with a naked Bill Cosby.

Kirkpatrick claims she met Cosby in 1981 at a Las Vegas tennis club when she was 25 and that he drugged her and assaulted her. Neal described a similar situation, saying she also met Cosby at a tennis club. He invited her to dinner and allegedly ordered her a shot of vodka, which she drank. Neal claims she quickly began feeling dizzy and vaguely remembers Cosby having sex with her while she was in an incapacitated state.

At the press conference, Allred also addressed Rashad’s statements, saying, “Phylicia, you should be supporting these women rather than joining Cosby’s paid ‘attack dogs’ who are trying to undermine them any way they can.”

Three women, Tamara Green, Therese Serignese and Linda Traitz, who all claim Cosby assaulted them in the 70s, are currently suing Cosby for defamation in the hopes that it will force Cosby to confront the accusations of sexual assault that can no longer be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations.

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.