Phylicia Rashad Breaks Silence On Bill Cosby Scandal: ‘Forget These Women’

Bill Cosby’s TV wife Phylicia Rashad has finally broken her silence regarding the slew of rape allegations made against the comedian in recent months. In an interview with Showbiz 411 at the screening for Ava DuVernay’s Selma film, Rashad dismissed the scandal, remarking that she “loves” Cosby.

“Forget these women,” she 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.”

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Rashad now joins other celebrities – including Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg and fellow Cosby Show costar Keshia Knight Pulliam – who have shown their support for Cosby. To the comedian’s most high-profile accusers, Janice Dickinson and Beverly Johnson, Rashad gave a simple “oh please.”

“This show represented America to the outside world,” she said. “This was the American family. And now you’re seeing it being destroyed. Why?”

Rashad also supported Cosby’s reticence regarding the allegations, which he has been criticized for.

“If he spoke now, what do you think the media would do with it?” she said.