Phylicia Rashad on Cosby's Release- Page 2

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:09pm

Huss417 said: "It's not surprising her response but I am still shocked and saddened by it."

I am not surprised either .  But she is not the criminal here.

[pmensky]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:15pm

MTC’s Development Director’s phone must be ringing off the hook. I would not want to be her today.

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:16pm

She knows exactly what she is doing here simply by the fact she turned off the ability to respond to the actual tweet, beyond cowardly to throw out a grenade and then not want to even engage other peoples direct reactions 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:19pm

She posted the same thing on her Instagram and turned off comments. She knows what she is doing. Howard is starting to get comments on their social media. I suspect she’s ok with whatever comes of this since she turned off comments.

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:26pm

PlayItAgain said: "She knows exactly what she is doing here simply by the fact she turned off the ability to respond to the actual tweet, beyond cowardly to throw out a grenade and then not want to even engage other peoples direct reactions"

Replies to tweets like this are 100% worthless unless you really want to see 50,000 variations on "This ain't it, chief" and a bunch of "Yikes" GIFs. No one in her replies would offer any substance that would be worth her "engaging" with it.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:40pm

We only recognize Debbie Allen in this house.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:50pm

shes expressing her opinion and should not be fired for it. (if ticket sales take a huge hit because audiences wont go see her, that might be a different story, but even that would be a hard sell to a judge because the causation there is... tricky). 

her opinion is trash and purposefully hurtful: there is a way to defend a friend (as unseemly as that friend might be) without so callously discounting the 40+ women who have accused him of rape. im disgusted but not surprised. 

then AGAIN, if only theyd do a big Cosby musical, she'd land a plum role and no one would say a word. 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 4:55pm

Phylicia knew a very different Bill than all of these other women knew. She knew a Bill who was a friend, co-worker, and on-sceeen husband through two different successful TV shows. Her personal experiences and feelings affect her ability to judge him impartially. She certainly isn't the first person to deny the possibility that someone she loves could be an evil monster, and she won't be the last.

I do wonder if her denial might even be a way of convincing herself that she didn't see any warning signs, which is also not uncommon in people who are in a similar situation.

In any case, her feelings on this matter are not exactly news, as she has maintained this opinion for the duration, and has continued to stand by his side. I am not meaning to defend her in any way, but I can see where her thoughts might be coming from.

We all have to draw our lines somewhere in terms of what is too far. For some this will be a big enough blight to tarnish her career and the good she has done for other causes, and others will consider this an unfortunate opinion she holds and simply move on. I don't know that expressing an unpopular opinion should justify being fired from one's job and barred from ever working again. It is true that our words have consequences, but consequences need to be appropriate. Perhaps the best consequence is losing the fans and ticket sales of those who lost respect for her over this. If we are going to start firing people for saying controversial things, there are a lot of regular posters here who should start fearing for their jobs, especially if we look at some posts from five or ten years back. Many here have a history of saying some pretty vile things on these boards, and by today's standards would find themselves canceled fairly quickly, even if they choose to deny it today; though few would go as far as to support a convicted rapist.

[Princeton2]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 5:21pm

According to this article Jennifer Hudsom among others are also supporting the tweetby liking it.not on twitter myself to verify that though

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9742537/Cosby-star-Phylicia-Rashad-tweets-support-colleague-Bill-Cosby.html

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 5:27pm

Princeton2 said: "According to this article Jennifer Hudsom among others are also supporting the tweetby liking it.not on twitter myself to verify that though

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9742537/Cosby-star-Phylicia-Rashad-tweets-support-colleague-Bill-Cosby.html"

 

I am not seeing Rashad's Tweet under Jennifer Hudson's "liked" page. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 5:44pm

This thread is teetering on the edge of coming off the rails, but some reasoned responses are salvaging it. 

No one is going to be fired, no one is going to sue. That is not how these things are done. Which is not to say she will be in the show.

As others have said, everyone is free to avoid shows with performers they loathe. I have a fairly long list of those, most of whom have never said anything stupid in public. Finally, I would observe that the number of MTC subscribers who have twitter or IG accounts would not fill a thimble.  

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 5:54pm

" Finally, I would observe that the number of MTC subscribers who have twitter or IG accounts would not fill a thimble."

Maybe so, but that certainly doesn't mean they won't hear of Rashad's statement through other venues. I'll echo others on this thread who have observed that turning off replies to her tweet indicated she knew that sh!tstorm she'd incite. I expect Howard will cut ties with her before we hear anything from MTC.

Updated On: 6/30/21 at 05:54 PM

[viagalactica6]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:19pm

Poor Phylicia she is delusional and like so many folks in the Black community she thinks the man is innocent.

BULLSH*T!

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:28pm

HogansHero said: "This thread is teetering on the edge of coming off the rails, but some reasoned responses are salvaging it.

No one is going to be fired, no one is going to sue. That is not how these things are done. Which is not to say she will be in the show.

As others have said, everyone is free to avoid shows with performers they loathe. I have a fairly long list of those, mostof whomhave never said anything stupid in public. Finally, I would observe that the number of MTC subscribers who have twitter or IG accounts would not fill a thimble."

Patti Lupone sued.  Faye also sued.  Your right about MTC subscribers .  

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:33pm

SmokeyLady said: "Patti Lupone sued. Faye also sued."

apples and oranges for a bunch of reasons

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:39pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "jlindsey865 said: "What a shocking response from Rashad.

I haven't been following the Cosby case closely recently, but has she spoken out before about the allegations?"

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/phylicia-rashad-bill-cosby-reaction-sex-assault-prison-release-1235008856/

"

That's a roundup from today, but if you were looking for Rashad's before before comments, this is from 2015.  

 

I'm more interested to see Howard University's response. Rashad the actor saying this feels like less of an issue than Rashad the Dean of the College of Fine Arts saying this. 

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:40pm

HogansHero said: "SmokeyLady said: "Patti Lupone sued. Faye also sued."

apples and oranges for a bunch of reasons"

Both fired .  And both sued.  If she’s fired ( which would be stupid) she could sue .  I just can always count on the phony outrage here.  Again;  she is not the criminal.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:47pm

Anakela said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "jlindsey865 said: "What a shocking response from Rashad.

I haven't been following the Cosby case closely recently, but has she spoken out before about the allegations?"

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/phylicia-rashad-bill-cosby-reaction-sex-assault-prison-release-1235008856/

"

That's a roundup from today, but if you were looking for Rashad's before before comments, this is from 2015.



I'm more interested to see Howard University's response. Rashad the actor saying this feels like less of an issue than Rashad the Dean of the College of Fine Arts saying this."

Yes, and unlike the subscriber base of MTC, college students are extremely activated and primed to know about this, and to respond.

I doubt she'd be fired from Skeleton Crew- lots of actors have ****ty opinions. But for serving in a role that is ostensibly concerned with the wellfare of a student body, defending a self-confessed rapist with over 60 alleged victims is not a tenable position to hold.

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:52pm

Bill Cosby was freed on a procedural issue that is irrelevant to the facts of the crime. If Phylicia's tweet is in reference to the procedural issue then she should have been more responsible and made that clear because all people are seeing is that she is happy that her friend, a serial rapist was released from prison. 

She should have stepped away from her keyboard. 

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:54pm

^Correct. 

[Kad]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 6:56pm

Rashad is a very smart lady who most likely knew exactly what she was saying- hence why she turned off the ability for people to respond. And it seems fully in sync with her stated opinions on Cosby in the past (as seen in Anakela's post above).

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 7:39pm

I commend the PA State Supreme Court for its ruling.  As well, I commend Phylicia Rashad for her statements.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 7:55pm

We all should have learned from Michael Bennett, when he didn't promote her to the role of Deena in Dreamgirls.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 8:07pm

SmokeyLady said: "HogansHero said: "SmokeyLady said: "Patti Lupone sued. Faye also sued."

apples and oranges for a bunch of reasons"

Both fired . And bothsued. If she’s fired ( which would be stupid) she could sue . I just can always count on the phony outrage here. Again; she is not the criminal."

neither of these people were fired for expressing unpopular views, and both won on straight breach of contract (certainly LuPone did, and it wasnt even close). im a capitalist. people should express their disgust with her remarks, if they want to, with their pocketbooks. 

but of course Rashad wasnt talking about the legalities of today's decision- which was sadly correct- because for YEARS shes been saying this, long before he was released on a semi-technical problem with the way the (trump lawyer) prosecutor handled this so poorly. she doesnt believe the 40+ women who have accused him, nor does she seem to believe Cosby's OWN words on the subject. its her right to be insensitive and wrong.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 6/30/21 at 8:34pm

Kad said: "Rashad is a very smart lady who most likely knew exactly what she was saying- hence why she turned off the ability for people to respond. And it seems fully in sync with her stated opinions on Cosby in the past (as seen in Anakela's post above)."

This is not the first nor will it be the last time that the friends and families of a monster are blind to what the person did. We have another example contemporaneously. She just seems too intelligent to be doing this; it's not a close call.