Say it with us, now: Bye, Phylicia!
As you’ve probably heard by now, dozens of women have come forward to accuse Bill Cosby of sexual assault in recent weeks.
Cosby’s family members and female co-stars have been quick to rush to his defense.
Earlier this week, Keshia Knight Pulliam spoke out about the accusations after she was fired from Celebrity Apprentice for refusing to contact Cosby.
Prior to that, Camille Cosby defended her husband, assuring fans that the iconic sitcom star is "the man you thought you knew."
Now, Cosby’s on-screen wife, Phylicia Rashad, is offering her own take on the situation, and many have accused her of being shockingly insensitive toward victims of sexual assault.
"Forget these women," says Rashad, who played Claire Huxtable for eight seasons on The Cosby Show. "What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. I think it’s orchestrated. I don’t know why or who’s doing it, but it’s the legacy."
"Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV. And it’s worked. All his contracts have been cancelled. The Cosby Show represented America to the outside world. This was the American family. And now you’re seeing it being destroyed. Why?"
As you might have guessed, many have taken offense at Rashad’s implication that the "legacy" of an entertainer is more important than the claims of dozens of women who may have been sexually assaulted in horrific fashion.
Online reactions have been swift and brutal, but Rashad has yet to respond to the outrage sparked by her comments. Naturally, for his part, Cosby has remained silent, which is consistent with his strategy throughout this scandal.
