Brochure / Getty ImagesAccording to Vulture , Cosby’s show was “a late addition to NBC [1984] fall schedule”, but whoever made the last-second bet, clearly won big. The sitcom, which focused on the Huxtables, a wealthy African-American family living in a Brooklyn brownstone, pushed the boundaries by bringing a black cast to an environment historically defined by whiteness, and was an instant hit. The series became one of the most successful American sitcoms in television history, earning 6 of a total of 29 Emmy nominations, and making it one of only two American series to spend five consecutive seasons on top of Nielsen’s classifications, by Encyclopedia Britannica.
Today, the premise of The Cosby Show doesn’t sound like a long shot, but at the time Bill Cosby was one of the first comedians to become a comedy star. At one point, he was so loved that he was called the father of the United States … until everything changed in a really horrible way. But it’s not just Cosby who has a dark side, although his is exceptionally darker than his co-stars. Some of the other big sitcom stars definitely had some skeletons lurking in their closets, too.
Prison is very different from Huxtable’s russet stone
Pool / Getty ImagesBill Cosby’s reign as the famous father of the United States collapsed amid allegations of sexual misconduct spanning decades. According to CNN , Since then, more than 50 women have brought charges against the comedian, including several allegations of drug addiction and assault, but there only had to be one to send the octogenarian to prison.
Andrea Constand, a Temple University employee who worked with the women’s basketball team, was the first person to publicly accuse Cosby. According to CNN and Vulture reports , she claimed that in 2004, the comedian gave her a medication to “ease her anxiety” that “made her dizzy” before sexually assaulting her. In an incident that occurred the following year, he also accused Cosby of “playing improperly.”
Cosby was charged with sexual assault in 2015, but according to TMZ , the initial case ended in a null trial in 2017 because the jury was at a standstill (two jurors reportedly claimed he was not guilty). During the new trial in 2018, Constand and five women who claimed to have been drugged and sexually assaulted gave their testimony. Cosby was eventually convicted of “three counts of aggravated indecent assault.” According to CNN , the sitcom star was classified as a “sexually violent predator” and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. Speaking to Black Press USA A few months after his sentencing, Cosby said he would not show “remorse” during the upcoming parole hearings and still maintained his innocence.
Lisa Bonet never got along with Bill Cosby
Dia Dipasupil / Getty ImagesLisa Bonet and the disgraced father of the United States did not get along. Although the star remained silent for most of Bill Cosby’s trial, unlike his co-stars who more or less supported him, Bonet eventually slammed into Cosby in March 2018. “There was no knowledge from me about [ Bill Cosby’s] specific actions, but… There was only energy . And that kind of sinister, shadow energy can’t be hidden, ” Net-A-Porter said in an interview, then added:” I don’t need to say ‘I told you so.’
Bonet was something of a black sheep among his television family, but mainly because he pushed the creative envelope and didn’t align with what Cosby expected of a comedy star on network television. According to Jezebel , rumors claim that her antics relegated her to A Different World the University-focused Cosby Show spin off. Later she told David Letterman (through Jezebel ) that she only took that concert because, “They told me to do it.”
Even if the rumors are true, it’s hard to imagine what Bonet could have done that was so bad that he sent Denise away from Brooklyn Heights. According to Net-A-Porter, “she appeared late on set and posed topless in Interview Magazine,” which irritated Cosby’s feathers. It also infuriated the comedian by taking a role in Heart of Angel, where he filmed a blood-soaked nude sex scene with Mickey Rourke who, according to the New York Times , gave the film an X rating.
Bill Cosby’s alleged infidelity was an open secret on set
Pool / Getty ImagesLisa Bonet was not the only cast member to reveal that Bill Cosby brought bad vibes to the set of The Cosby Show . Joseph C. Phillips, who played Denise’s husband, Martin Kendall, revealed that the entire cast knew about the comedian’s alleged infidelities. In 2015, when the allegations began to surface, Phillips wrote a now-deleted blog post on his website (via Entertainment Weekly ) titled “Of course Bill Cosby is guilty! In it, he made some shocking statements like “Bill sleeping was a” fact “that, like air, seemed to be. I didn’t have to see or hear it to know it existed.
This is not the first time that Cosby’s infidelities have made headlines. According to some accounts, it is something the star has been trying to hide for years. According to Page Six , the sitcom star narrowly avoided the scandal by leaking a story about her 23-year-old daughter’s struggle with drug and alcohol abuse of the tabloids in 1989. The report alleges that It was an attempt to bury a National Investigator story about the star “swinging with Sammy Davis Jr. and some dancers in Las Vegas.” When the Investigator called the star for a comment, he reportedly fed them the sad story of their daughter. “My editor told me that Dad Cosby was the source. He betrayed his flesh and blood, “said a source from The National Investigator said Page Six.
Geoffrey Owens was embarrassed for his concert at Trader Joes
Lisa O’connor / Getty ImagesWhen the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Bill Cosby led to The Cosby Show being removed from television networks, things got tough for Geoffrey Owens, who played Sondra Huxtable’s husband, Elvin Tibideaux. No reruns means no residue, and the actor was forced to look for a daily job at Trader Joe’s. According to NJ.com , her new concert was discovered by a fan who took a photo and sent it to the tabloids. The story quickly went viral.
Speaking to Good Morning America , Owens admitted that he had worked at the grocery store for 15 months and was “really devastated” when the images appeared online. He didn’t want the entertainment industry to think he wasn’t pursuing his passion just because he had a day job. “I had been teaching, acting, directing for more than 30 years, but, you know, it got to the point where, you know, it just didn’t add up enough,” he said. GMA . «… And you are going to do what you have to do. I wanted a job where I could have some flexibility to try and stay in business. ”
Apparently, the tabloids’ attempt to embarrass Owens failed entirely, and he received strong support from his Hollywood peers. Actor-actor Terry Crews accepted that he swept floors after the NFL, and Harry Potter star Chris Rankin revealed that he worked at a Wetherspoons after his performance as Percy Weasley. There is no shame in the hustle.
Sabrina Le Beauf had a contract battle with producers
Larry Busacca / Getty ImagesSabrina Le Beauf, who played Sondra Huxtable, was less than thrilled with her role. In fact, it appears he was embarrassed by The Cosby Show as a whole, and this was particularly evident when the star attempted to turn to the theater while still under contract with NBC. In a 1989 interview with The Washington Post , the actress boldly admitted: “Working on television you don’t have the opportunity most of the time to do what you are capable of doing. After being in the program for five years, I have been unable to do what I am capable of doing. I feel deceived that 55 million people a week see something that is not my best work «.
At the time, Le Beauf was in an unpleasant battle with producers who threatened to withhold her payment if she did not show up to establish. He had only appeared in five of the 25 episodes that season, and he didn’t understand why he had to be there if his character wasn’t scheduled to appear. “That is not working,” The Washington Post told her . “You can’t tell me ‘we want you here’ and ‘be here for us’ if I don’t go to work.” Eventually, Bill Cosby helped her secure some kind of deal that allowed her to do a production of Her Own at the Folger Theater.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was miserable in this post-Cosby Show role
Vivien Killilea / Getty ImagesMalcolm-Jamal Warner had no different problems on The Cosby Show. Problems only arose after the series ended in 1992, and the star got her own comedy series in 1996. She cited her time at Malcolm and Eddie as “probably the most miserable years of my life” in an interview with NPR . Why? There was a great creative divide. The star had just come from a sitcom commended for his progressive portrayal of black families and joined a series peppered with racial stereotypes and “obvious comedy.”
In an episode of PeopleTV Couch Surfing (via Entertainment Weekly ), Warner revealed that he fought with almost everyone who worked on the series, particularly Eddie Griffin, who often used racial clichés to laugh. “There were so many fights that I did on this show, with writers, producers, the studio,” he said. “There was a particular vision that they had for the program that was different from the vision that I had for the program.”
The fans, of course, were not the wisest. Not a bit of animosity was shown in Warner and Griffin’s performance.
Keshia Knight Pulliam’s shocking divorce
Jesse Grant / Getty ImagesBy 2016, Rudy Huxtable had grown up and was dealing with much deeper problems than The Cosby Show ever prepared her for her. In an exclusive Entertainment Tonight , Keshia Knight Pulliam broke down in tears and revealed the heartbreaking details of her tumultuous marriage to former NFL player Ed Hartwell. The couple had been married for about seven months when Pulliam announced that she was pregnant. Ten days after the announcement, Entertainment Tonight reported that the former soccer star filed for divorce, and according to TMZ , he wanted the actress to take a paternity test. This was a bold move considering that Hartwell reportedly acknowledged living with his lover Tonya Carroll, who was also pregnant with her son, during the divorce trial less than a year later.
Things with Pulliam’s separation became much more distressing than the painful revelation that her husband had a secret lover. According to TMZ , Pulliam’s divorce papers claimed Hartwell was “conspiring to harm and obstruct [her] pregnancy” with “some unusual and unusual conduct” that could cause a miscarriage. She did not specify what that behavior was, but said she felt insecure because Hartwell owned numerous firearms. A year after Hartwell finally admitted in court documents that he was the father of Pulliam’s son, the Cosby Star show received primary custody.
This Cosby Show actress starred in a nude protest
Mark Makela / Getty ImagesCosby Show Actress Nicolle Rochelle only appeared in a small part of the series. She played two characters, Davina and Danielle, who were written in four episodes in the early 1990s. If we don’t remember her name then (she’s actually credited as Nicole Leach on the show), we certainly do now. The actress made her mark as a naked protester during Bill Cosby’s 2018 sexual assault trial.
According to Page Six , Rochelle was arrested during the new Cosby trial (above) and charged with disorderly conduct after jumping over a barricade to get the attention of the disgraceful comedy star during a topless protest. On the chest and back, he had written the names of some of Cosby’s accusers and the words “Women’s lives matter.” In an interview with People , Rochelle admitted that she did everything to make Cosby feel “uncomfortable.”
“He is a man who has left women’s bodies powerless for decades. It doesn’t seem to be recognized, “he said, adding:” The case is being advertised with this race narrative. He is being painted as the victim. I wanted to emphasize that this is rape. I wanted to make him uncomfortable and make people think about women’s bodies. ”
The family that smokes together
Kevork Djansezian / Getty ImagesLisa Bonet’s time with her Split Cosby Show A Different World ended abruptly when she became pregnant with her daughter Zoe Kravitz. Although producer Debbie Allen went to fight for the star and tried to work on a story involving her pregnancy, Bill Cosby was allegedly not having it. Years later, Bonet was still causing controversy, or at least embarrassing his daughter.
During an appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live , Hi-Fi Star Zoe Kravitz admitted that Bonet and her father Lenny Kravitz had a strict but bohemian parenting style. When they gave him the conversation, they also gave him drugs in hopes of avoiding his desire to go around the bases. “The conversation about drugs and sex was ‘here are some drugs, they still don’t have sex,'” he told Andy Cohen. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the actress explained her first experience with grass. She admitted that her mother offered her to smoke a joint when she first discovered her daughter’s interest. Similarly, his rocker father has always been an outspoken advocate of cannabis. In a 2017 High Times In the interview, the singer of “Are You Gonna Go My Way” said that “he never got into heroin, coca or pills”, but regularly used the herb along with “a natural psychedelic here or there ».
Stacey Dash tried to play this argument as usual
Jc Olivera / Getty ImagesBefore Stacey Dash hit big with Clueless the star made a cameo in an episode of The Cosby Show. Since then, he has appeared in various movies and television series, especially the cult hit. Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens, so everyone, including CGI sharks, was inexplicably stripped of an Oscar. Unfortunately, Dash has made many more headlines for his controversy than for his trade in recent years.
In 2019 NBC News reported that the star was arrested for domestic assault. She allegedly shoved and slapped her husband Jeffrey Marty during a verbal discussion that somehow escalated. According to TMZ , Marty was the first to undergo the physical examination, but police saw “scratches on his arms” (ie visible injuries), resulting in Dash being handcuffed. The actress was reportedly the one who called 911 alleging that her husband was suffocating her, but her manager Nick Terry contested those claims. According to TMZ , Dash also alleged that Marty and her three children “conspired to arrest her.”
As the story of Dash’s domestic drummer spiraled into the tabloids, the Clueless actress casually tried to portray it as normal behavior, which is honestly a bit troubling. In a tweet , she wrote: “Like normal married couples, my husband and I had a marriage dispute that escalated. Thank you for your support and love. Finally, the case was dropped . To be clear, normal fights usually don’t end with the police at your door.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Michelle Thomas’ heartbreaking finale
Dominik Bindl / Getty ImagesDuring The Cosby Heydey Show , Malcolm-Jamal Warner married Michelle Thomas, who played his character’s girlfriend, Justine Phillips. He was one of those cute on-screen and off-screen romances that tabloids love, but their relationship followed the path of most co-stars. In other words, they parted, yet their love never wavered.
According to People , when Thomas was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and the end of his battle was nearing in 1998, Warner flew across the country to be at his bedside. It was then that Thomas uttered two of the last words he would say to Warner: “‘Elephant juice.’ … «It seems you are saying, ‘I love you’. That was always our thing, “said Warner People. “When I saw her I said ‘elephant juice’. She smiled and said, ‘Elephant juice.’ ”
Thomas, who played Callie in The Young and the Restless following in her footsteps on The Cosby Show , passed away the morning after Warner’s arrival. It was two days before Christmas. She was only 30 years old. Since Thomas’s death, he has remained close to his ex-girlfriend’s mother, Phynjuar Thomas, according to The New York Daily News .
What happened to Raven Symoné?
Phillip Faraone / Getty ImagesBefore Raven Symoné told the future about her hit Disney Channel show She’s So Raven, she made a name for herself on The Cosby Show as a Little Baby. Raven played Denise’s adorable stepdaughter Olivia Kendall, but today she has grown up and it is causing outrage among Internet users everywhere.
Beyond the Watermelondrea moment that shook The Sight , Symoné faced a backlash by repudiating her own ethnicity on national television. In a 2014 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the star admitted: “I am tired of being tagged. I’m American. I am not African American. I’m American “. Winfrey immediately shook her head and urged Symoné not to “set Twitter on fire.” Should we remind everyone that Symoné starred in a series that historically changed the way African American families are portrayed on television?
After the intense backlash, Symoné defended herself in an interview with Buzzfeed News’ AM2DM . “I didn’t say it wasn’t black,” he said. I’m black … My passport says American … Trust me, I know I’m black. There is only one difference. There are a lot of African Americans, especially in 2018, who come from Africa and come here and need the green card … that’s how I see that title. « You’d think needing a green card means you’re African until, you know, you get U.S. citizenship and you become African American, but well
