Good Morning America called this an “exclusive” interview featuring Bill Cosby’s response to the more than two dozen allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him. But that’s a little misleading. While Cosby did say words in response to Linsey Davis’s questions in this segment that aired Friday, he didn’t answer them — at all.
Davis asked the 77-year-old how he’d respond if a young person asked him, “Are you guilty? Are the allegations true?”
His response:
I’m not sure that they will come like that. I think that many of them say, ‘Well, you’re a hypocrite. You say one thing, you say the other. My point is okay, listen to me carefully. I’m telling you where the road is out. Now you want to go here, or you want to be concerned about who’s giving you the message?
On whether his philanthropic work with a charity that aims to improve schools around Selma, Alabama, could be overshadowed by the allegations:
I have been in this business 52 years and — I will — I’ve never seen anything like this. Reality is the situation, and I can’t speak.
On supporters’ concerns about the allegations’ impact on his legacy:
I have a ton of ideas to put on television about people and their love for each other.
Cosby’s accusers include actors, models, and women who considered him a mentor, and their allegations span five decades. While one civil suit against him has been public knowledge since 2005, it was largely ignored by fans and journalists. That changed when comedian Hannibal Buress referenced it in an October 2014 routine, and the video went viral.
Then, one after another, women from Cosby’s past made public proclamations that he’d drugged and/or sexually assaulted them, or attempted to do so. Cosby and his attorneys have adamantly denied all of the allegations, and, as today’s interview response about “tons of ideas” suggests, he’s determined to continue the comedic career that made him famous.
