Bill Cosby’s spokesperson has spoken out in defense of his legacy, ahead of the release of a documentary on the controversial comedian.
We Need To Talk About Cosby is set to debut on Showtime on January 30, directed by W Kamau Bell.
It will focus on the sexual misconduct claims against the 84-year-old, after dozens of women came forward with allegations spanning from 1965 to 2008.
The Cosby Show star was sentenced to a decade behind bars after a jury convicted him of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2004, and served two years in prison.
He later successfully appealed his conviction and was released last year – with prosecutors later asking the US Supreme Court to review the decision to overturn his sexual assault convictions.
Ahead of the release of the four-part documentary, which will explore the case as well as Cosby’s Hollywood career, his representative issued a statement to People Magazine slamming the project.
‘Let’s talk about Bill Cosby,’ it began. ‘Mr. Cosby has spent more than 50 years standing with the excluded; made it possible for some to be included; standing with the disenfranchised; and standing with those women and men who were denied respectful work … because of race and gender … within the expanses of the entertainment industries.
‘Let’s talk about Bill Cosby. Mr. Cosby continues to be the target of numerous media that have, for too many years, distorted and omitted truths … intentionally. Despite media’s repetitive reports of allegations against Mr. Cosby, none have ever been proven in any court of law.
‘Let’s talk about Bill Cosby. In June, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court released Mr. Cosby; and the court’s Chief Justice defined the Pennsylvania Montgomery County District Attorney’s behavior as reprehensible.
‘Let’s talk about Bill Cosby. Mr. Cosby knows the realities of prosecutorial violations; and that those violations are threats to the integrity of our nation’s criminal justice systems. That is a subject matter for a professional documentary.’
It concluded: ‘Let’s talk about Bill Cosby. Mr. Cosby vehemently denies all allegations waged against him. Let’s talk about Bill Cosby. He wants our nation to be what it proclaims itself to be: a democracy.’
The official synopsis of the documentary reads: ‘Cosby, the renowned comedian, actor, philanthropist and African American icon, who for decades was revered as “America’s Dad”, has gained infamy as a criminal defendant in a sexual-assault prosecution.
‘The series explores the complex story of Cosby’s life and work, weighing his actions against his indisputable global influence through interviews with comedians, cultural commentators, journalists and women’ who made accusations against Cosby.’
Bosses added that the program ‘offers viewers the chance to reconsider Cosby’s mark in a society where rape culture, toxic masculinity, capitalism and white supremacy are shaping how we re-evaluate sex, power and agency’.
We Need to Talk About Cosby will air on Showtime on January 30 at 10pm ET.
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