Bill Cosby and his wife Camille were on Weekend Edition this morning on NPR with host Scott Simon to discuss their famous and extensive African art collection. At the end of the interview, though, Simon had to ask about the renewed sexual assault accusations against Cosby—the comedian's November 19 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman was canceled this weekend, supposedly as a result.
SCOTT SIMON: "This question gives me no pleasure Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days."
BILL COSBY: [SILENCE]
SIMON: "You're shaking your head no. I'm in the news business. I have to ask the question. Do you have any response to those charges?"
COSBY: [SILENCE]
SIMON: "Shaking your head no. There are people who love you who might like to hear from you about this. I want to give you the chance."
COSBY: [SILENCE]
SIMON: "Alright. Camille and Bill Cosby. They have lent 62 pieces from their collection of African and African-American art to create an exhibit called Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue. It's now on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art through early 2016. Thank you both."
The Washington Post published a column yesterday from alleged victim Barbara Bowman, who has spoken out against Cosby and her experiences before. Although the allegations of rape and sexual assault from several young women were conspicuously left out of Mark Whitaker's new biography of Cosby, they've been floating around since at least 2005. You can listen to the segment here.
[via Gawker/NPR]
