Phylicia Rashad, who played Bill Cosby's on-screen wife Clair Huxtable for all eight seasons of "The Cosby Show," has come to the defense of her former co-star regarding his recent sexual abuse scandal.
At a luncheon for the movie "Selma," the 66-year-old Tony-winning actress finally opened up to Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman about the claims that over a dozen women made against Cosby.
"Forget these women," Rashad told Showbiz 411. "What you're seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it's orchestrated. I don't know why or who's doing it, but it's the legacy. And it's a legacy that is so important to the culture."
The actress claims that the recent scandal is a plot to keep the 77-year-old comedian off the air and ruin his reputation. Both Netflix and NBC have cancelled projects involving the comedian and many of Cosby's shows have either been postponed or cancelled.
"Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV," she said. "And it's worked. All his contracts have been cancelled... This show represented America to the outside world. This was the American family. And now you're seeing it being destroyed. Why?"
When asked about claims made by Beverly Johnson and Janice Dickinson - both former models who said that Cosby drugged them - the "Steel Magnolias" star replied, "Oh, please."
Rashad did defend Cosby's wife, Camille Cosby, who has remained by her husband's side throughout the scandal. The actress called Cosby's wife, "a tough woman, a smart woman" and added that "she's no pushover."
Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy Huxtable on the family sitcom, also spoke out about Cosby's sexual assault allegations in an interview with Access Hollywood on Monday.
"Ultimately, I really can't speak to that. Whoever is involved, those are the people who were there. I wasn't there," she said. "I can only speak to the great man that I know and love, who has been so generous, who has been such a philanthropist and giving back millions of dollars to education and schools. And just the man I grew up knowing. It's really not my place to speak on that. Unfortunately, in the court of public opinion everyone has formed their opinion, but we're still in America and you're innocent until proven guilty of any crimes."
Pulliam called her on-screen father "awesome" and cited him as the man who inspired her to be an entrepreneur. The actress called his situation unfortunate, but said the "legacy he's built cannot be ignored."
