It’s been nearly a year since a slew of rape allegations related to famous TV personality and comedian Bill Cosby initially surfaced. In the time since, big corporations have made plenty of tactical moves to distance themselves from the comedian, including pulling upcoming projects. TV Land even stopped airing old episodes of The Cosby Show on the channel. But despite the bad press, former Cosby Show star Keshia Knight Pulliam says the sitcom is still important, culturally. Here’s what she had to say:
I can say that, based upon the people that continuously approach me and talk about how it’s profoundly impacted their lives, I don’t feel you can take that back. You can’t take back the impact that it’s had on generations of kids, and it’s continuing to have such a positive impact on them.
Pulliam’s comments to the Grio are a little unsurprising, considering the actress has been open about her experiences with Cosby in the past. The Celebrity Apprentice contestant formerly noted that the accusations against Bill Cosby totally contradicted with her own experience of the actor on the set of The Cosby Show.
All I can speak to is the man that I know and I love. The fact that he has been such an example and you can’t take away from the great that he has done.
It's easy to see where she's coming from. The Cosby Show is, without question, one of the most important television programs in the history of the medium. It meant so much to so many people for a long time, both because it was funny and fun and ahead of its time but also because it gave Americans a very different and refreshing perspective on what all families have in common, regardless of skin color. Unfortunately, shows don't exist in a vacuum, and it's hard for people to separate the show's star and his personal life from what he created. That's just human nature and there's no changing that. There will probably be no changing that moving forward, either.
In the time since, more than 50 woman have come forward to talk about similar experiences they had while spending time with Bill Cosby. The news has been splashed across headlines and the actor has had lawsuits thrown at him. It’s clear the man’s career won’t be coming back from this downfall, but only time will tell if the Huxtables end up back in reruns once more.
