Today, Bill Cosby goes on trial for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand in January 2004. And as the 79 year old walked into court in Norristown, Pennsylvania, this morning, his TV daughter Keshia Knight Pulliam was right by his side.
Though a representative for Pulliam didn’t respond to People’s request for comment, Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt did speak to the magazine about why the Pulliam chose to attend the hearings along with Johnny Taylor, president of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
“Johnny feels Mr. Cosby has done so much for historically black colleges over his career and it’s important for him to show that support and say ‘Thank you’ because he has not been found guilty of anything. They’re coming in to hear the truth. Keshia feels the same way. She’s not here to proclaim guilt or innocence. She’s here to finally hear the truth for herself in the courtroom. She wants people to stop listening to the sensationalism and come hear the truth.”
Cosby has pleaded not guilty to the current allegations, as he has regarding similar charges from more than 50 other women, and the trial is only expected to last two weeks.
While on one hand, Pulliam’s presence at Cosby’s side isn’t all that surprising, as he did portray her father on The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992. However, two years ago when Pulliam was fired from Celebrity Apprentice by Donald Trump for not calling Cosby to donate money to her team’s cause, she confessed they hadn’t spoken in years.
“I have not talked to Bill Cosby on the phone in I don’t know how long,” she said in 2015. “So for me to pick up the phone, having not talked to you for five years, except for when we run into each other for a Cosby event — I feel that’s not my place to do.”
Later, in an interview with the TODAY show, she also spoke on the sexual assault allegations, essentially saying they’re just “allegations” she has no knowledge of in terms of how factual they may or may not be.
“What I can say is this: I wasn’t there. No one was there except for the two people who know exactly what happened. All I can speak to is the man that I know and I love. The fact that he’s been such an example, you can’t take away from the great that he has done. You know, the amount … the millions and millions of dollars that he has given back to colleges and education, and just what he did with The Cosby Show and how groundbreaking that was. Ultimately, they’re just that, allegations. You know, it’s very much been played out in the court of public opinion. But we’re still in America, where ultimately you’re innocent until proven guilty. I wasn’t there. That’s just not the man I know. So I can’t speak to it.”
During the past two years, Pulliam and Cosby must’ve gotten back in touch for her to walk arm and arm with him as he entered the courtroom. It’ll be interesting to see if Pulliam’s perspective changes at all throughout the trial. What do you think about her being by Cosby’s side?
Photo: Getty
The post Keshia Knight Pulliam By Bill Cosby’s Side For Sexual Assault Trial; Are You Surprised? appeared first on MadameNoire.