Bill Cosby’s cringe-worthy answer to rape questions

BILL Cosby has been filmed pressuring a reporter to “scuttle” questions about sex abuse, as former co-stars rallied around the besieged actor.

BILL Cosby does not want to address allegations of sexual assault against him.

The 77-year-old was asked about the growing furore by an Associated Press reporter when the comedian was promoting an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art that features the comedian’s African American art collection alongside African artworks.

When the AP interviewed Cosby, on November 6, the story involved long-circulated accusations from several women and recent criticism from comedian Hannibal Buress.

Cosby declined to comment, saying: “We don’t answer that.”

The AP mentioned the allegations and Cosby’s decision not to comment at the end of its story, which, like the interview, was primarily about his loan of more than 50 artworks to the Washington museum.

Assault claims ... Bill Cosby’s upcoming sitcom and comedy special have been cancelled after a number of women came forward to claim he drugged and raped them. Picture: AP

Since then, two women have come forward publicly to accuse him of sexual assault. In recent days, as the allegations gained increasing attention, AP went back through the full video and decided to publish Cosby’s full reaction to questions about the claims.

The AP was among a handful of news organisations granted interviews with Cosby in connection with the art exhibition. After his initial refusal to comment — as the interview was winding down but with the camera still running and Cosby wearing a lapel microphone — the comedian asked the AP to not use the brief on-camera refusal to comment he had just made about the allegations.

“And I would appreciate it if it was scuttled,” he said.

The interview was on the record. The AP had made no agreement to avoid questions about the allegations or to withhold publishing any of his comments at any time.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art has not changed its plans for the show, which opened this month on the National Mall and is scheduled to remain on view through early 2016.

Speaking out ... Cosby Show star Raven Symone has come out in support for her former TV grandfather. Picture: AP

“The exhibition has been very well received. We’ve actually had record numbers through the door,” spokesman Eddie Burke said, adding that the museum has had no complaints.

The video emerged former Cosby Show actor Raven-Symone came out in support of Cosby.

Raven-Symone — who played Cosby’s step-granddaughter Olivia on the famous sitcom in the late 80s and early 90s — took to Instagram to support the besieged comedian.

“I was NOT taking advantage of by Mr. Cosby when I was on the Cosby Show!” she wrote.

“I was practically a baby on that show and this is truly a disgusting rumour that I want no part of! Everyone on that show treated me with nothing but kindness. Now keep me out of this!”

Clueless actor Stacy Dash, who had appeared on an episode of The Cosby Show, also took to social media to say she had a positive experience working with Cosby.

Over the past week, the Cosby was dropped as a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, US cable network TV Land pulled re-runs of The Cosby Show, and NCB canned an upcoming project with the comedian.

Cosby has continued working as a stand-up comic, and has at least 35 performances scheduled throughout the US and Canada through May 2015. None of the performances has been cancelled.

I worked with @BillCosby in '86 when I was 19. We were alone together many times. He was a perfect gentleman & became a mentor to me.

— Stacey Dash (@REALStaceyDash) November 20, 2014

National Artists Corporation, which is promoting part of the tour, said it will not be cancelling any shows.

Supermodel Janice Dickinson told Entertainment Tonight that Cosby had given her red wine and a pill when they were together in a Lake Tahoe, California, hotel room in 1982.

When she woke up the next morning, “I wasn’t wearing my pyjamas and I remembered before I passed out I had been sexually assaulted by this man.”

Cosby’s lawyer, Martin Singer, said in a letter that Dickinson’s charges were “false and outlandish” and were contradicted by Dickinson herself in a published autobiography. Cosby’s spokesman, David Brokaw, did not return calls for comment.

Singer said the first Cosby heard of any assault allegation from Dickinson came in the Entertainment Tonight interview, and suggested the actor was “seeking publicity to bolster her fading career.”

Originally published as Bill Cosby’s cringe-worthy answer to rape questions