Phylicia Rashad Vs. Roger Friedman: 'Cosby Show' Star Sets The Record Straight On Her "Forget These Women" Quote: Clair Huxtable Says: "That Is A Misquote"-- Friedman Fires Back [DETAILS]
After Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 reported that Bill Cosby's TV wife, Phylicia Rashad ( Clair Huxtable ) said some damning words in regards to the Cosby drug, sex, rape allegations, it seems Rashad has had a change of heart on her words.
‘‘Forget these women. What you’re seeing is the destruction of a legacy. And I think it’s orchestrated," the actress allegedly said, according to Friedman. "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,"
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According to Boston Globe, Rashad now claims that she was "misquoted."
‘‘That is a misquote, and that is not what I said. What I said is this is not about the women. This is about something else. This is about the obliteration of legacy," she stated to Linsey Davis of ABC.
During the interview, Rashad added, ‘‘I am a woman. I would never say such a thing.’’ But Rashad doubled down on her initial declaration a larger conspiracy to destroy Cosby was at work. ‘‘What has happened is declaration in the media of guilt without proof,’’ she exclaimed.
Friedman published a statement to his website, explaining his article late Wednesday night.
"Folks, I have been out of pocket all day on a personal matter. Let me clear something up. I did not misquote Phylicia Rashad," the statement reads. "But she didn't mean for it to be taken the way it was, and I should have punctuated better. There was NEVER the meaning in 'Forget those women' that she was saying to actually forget or dismiss them. She meant, 'those women aside'- as in, she's not talking about that, she's talking about Cosby's legacy being destroyed. It was conversational. Somehow this got twisted. I am really sorry if the way I presented it made it seem like either one of us was forgetting anyone. I've been at a hospice on and off for 10 days with a family friend of 40 years. So really, let's all calm down. What Phylicia was doing was defending her friend and his legacy. That's what she said, that's what I wrote, I'm sorry if it caused her grief. And no one asked me to write this. I'm just saying it because I like and respect her.
He closed the statement, saying, "PS I am also taking out the 'Forget those women' because it was misunderstood, and not for any other reason."
Rashad’s comments were released after three more women stepped forward in a press conference Wednesday, claiming that they too were abused by Bill Cosby.