Keshia Knight Pulliam, former star of "The Cosby Show," has spoken out in defense of the show's legacy amid Bill Cosby's sexual assault allegations, Entertainment Weekly reported. Pulliam defended the 1980s series' impact even though her former "Cosby Show" co-star's reputation is now tarnished.
"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," Pulliam told The Grio. "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. So I feel like the place that it has in people's hearts is such a nostalgic part of childhood and beyond, it's going to be difficult to take back those memories."
Pulliam is best known for her role as Rudy Huxtable, the youngest child of Cosby's character Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, CNN reported. The 36-year-old actress appeared on "The Cosby Show" between 1984-92, and she most recently appeared on the seventh season of NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice."
When allegations first started pouring in from now more than 40 women who have accused the comedian of sexual assault, Pulliam told "The Today Show" that she can't speak because the allegations don't add up to the person she knows Cosby to be, according to Entertainment Weekly. She said she still stands by her comments.
"My comment doesn't really change, because, still, regardless of how many... that's just not the man I know," Pulliam told the Grio. "That's not who I experienced. I never had that interaction with him, so I can't speak to it."
