Last night’s incredibly uncomfortable episode of The Celebrity Apprentice has caused a lot of Internet commotion, as the world watched on in horror as Donald Trump espoused the virtues of the oft-accused Bill Cosby on national television. While the episode was filmed many months before the first accusations came to light, it was hard not to be uncomfortable as Cosby’s former TV daughter Keshia Knight Pulliam discussed her decision not to contact Cosby as part of the show.
Pulliam spoke with The Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie today and clarified why she was so opposed to getting in touch with Cosby. “I know ‘The Cosby Show’ is in reruns, and everyone thinks that we're this family that has dinner every Friday night,” Pulliam said. “But the reality was I hadn't spoken to Mr. Cosby. I felt that it would be tactless, very rude to call someone and be like, ‘Hey, so, let me have some money right now.’”
As for the many accusations leveled at her former costar, Pulliam reserved any judgment. “What I can say is this: I wasn't there. No one was there except for the two people who know exactly what happened,” she said. “All I can speak to is the man that I know and I love. The fact that he's been such an example, you can't take away from the great that he has done.”
“Ultimately, they're just that, allegations,” she continued. “You know, it's very much been played out in the court of public opinion. But we're still in America, where ultimately you're innocent until proven guilty. I wasn't there. That's just not the man I know. So I can't speak to it.”
It’s tough to argue with Pulliam’s decision to completely distance herself from the whole situation. Taking a stand one way or another rarely seems to work out well for anybody.
UPDATE: Pulliam also spoke with Access Hollywood yesterday about the incident, downplaying Cosby's lack of involvement and instead shifting the blame to those who she actually did ask for money. "Honestly, I had other donors that didn't make it," she said. "If you understand the time constraints that you're under, you have to have certified funds, we literally had about a day to turn around."
She also said that her teammates were as much to blame as she was, pointing out that "Had all of our teammates contributed as much time as they spent throwing me under the bus and actually had put in some more work, we would have fared much better."
As for how she remembers the controversial Cosby from their days together on TV, Pulliam had nothing but positive things to say. "He was awesome, he was the guy who made jokes with me to make me remember my lines," she said. "He's the man who inspired me to be such an entrepreneur…I feel that his legacy and all the great things he's done speak volumes."
[via NBC]
