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CNN Live Event/Special
The Cosby Show: A Legend Under Fire
Aired December 08, 2014 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, THE COSBY SHOW, A LEGEND UNDER FIRE: Hi, I'm Don Lemon and this is our CNN special. The Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire.
Generation of America grow up with Bill Cosby. He wasn't just a comedian he was Cliff Huxtable, America's dad, revered by black and white. But how do you go from being one of the most respected and love people in the country to this.
Tonight I'm going to take to five women who accused Cosby of assaulting them. Those women are all face to face for the first time. I also talk to Janice Dickinson, outraged after what she alleges Cosby did to her more than 30 years ago. So let's begin with the story behind the scandal. And why it's coming to light now. CNN, Jean Casarez has that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fall from grace of a living American legend 50 years in the making, Bill Cosby's alleged questionable behavior had gone largely unnoticed for decades. But why does it seem to hit center stage only now. This round started off believe or not as a joke. Back on October 16th comedian Hannibal Buress says something that goes viral.
HANNIBAL BURESS: I can talk down on you because I have a successful sitcom. Yeah, it was great living with Bill Cosby. So...
CASAREZ: Then less than a month later, Cosby's Twitter page as fans to mean Cosby. The results are overwhelmingly negative and quickly taken down. That begins a flood of allegations from women who say they were sexually assaulted by Cosby. Many claim they were drugged. The first to come forward publicly, Barbara Bowman.
BARBARA BOWMAN, COSBY ACCUSER: I never saw any drugs but I would wake up completely confused, half dressed, and knowing that my body had been touched without my permission.
CASAREZ: Also speaking out Joan Tarshis.
JOAN TARSHIS, COSBY ACCUSER: We went up to his bungalow afterwards. He made me a drink and very shortly after that I just -- I passed out. I woke up or came to very groggily with him removing my underwear.
CASAREZ: Tarshis said that in 1969 she voluntary saw Cosby again when he invited her to a performance after accepting drinks at his hotel and in limo. She said she woke up the next morning with him in his bed. Ironically Cosby release a comedy album that same year entitled "It's true. It's true." Joking about doctoring drinks.
BILL COSBY: You know what? You know anything about Spanish Fly? No, tell me about. Well, there's this girl carry Mary. You put some in her drink, man she be aaahhh.
CASAREZ: But with all the allegations and even after former Temple University employee Andrea Constand went to police saying Cosby drugged and molested her in 2004. The local District Attorney at the time Bruce Castor did not bring charges. Years later Castor explain his decision. Constand waiting for a year to go to authorities further case against Cosby.
BRUCE CASTOR, MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMISSIONER: Because of the delay, I couldn't check her blood to see if there any metabolites of that drug in her. So I'd made the case very difficult.
CASAREZ: In 2005 Cosby spoke out about the allegation for the first time telling the national inquire "I'm not going to give into people who try to exploit me because of my celebrity status". Soon after Constand response with the civil suit alleging battery, assault and defamation of her character. Constand and Cosby settle out court for undisclosed some the following year. Also in 2005 Tamara Green on the Today show with a similar story.
TAMARA GREEN, COSBY ACCUSER: He had gone from helping me to groping me and kissing me and touching me and handling me. And, you know, taking off my cloths.
CASAREZ: The latest (inaudible) a lawsuit filled last week by a woman who claims Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1974, when she was 15.
In court filling Cosby call those claim absolutely false accusing the woman of extortion. Cosby's attorney says her lawyer made threats about criminal penalty coupled with ever increasing demands for six- figured payday to keep quite about her long since expired claims. Other stories shared in small circles but getting little attention.
BETH FERRIER, COSBY ACCUSER: People did not want to believe our story.
JEWEL ALLISON FORMER MODEL: And I finally said I can't live in fear for the rest of my life
CASAREZ: The combination of comedian versus joke and the Twitter captions bring new accusers forward some who share graphic details.
JANICE DICKINSON, COSBY ACCUSER: But I remember more specifically waking up and that he -- there was a lot of pain in down stairs. There were semen all over me and pajamas bottoms were off and the top was opened.
KRISTINA RUEHLI: He had his hand on the back of my head. And he was trying to push it toward his erect penis. CASAREZ: Cosby's attorneys deny many of the new allegations and call Dickinson a liar. The accusers may not have been the only ones reluctant to talk about it. Magazine and Television Journalize Mark Whitaker who use to work for CNN in his newly release authorize biography of Bill Cosby doesn't touch the topic.
MARK WHITAKER, COSBY BIOGRAPHER: He has been a pioneer in so many areas. I knew that the Cosby Show is so big that people forget, you know, all the other ways in which he, you know, advance entertainment.
CASAREZ: Whitaker isn't alone. Bob Huber former writer for Philadelphia magazine admit in his 2006 profile of Cosby, he didn't question the star about the accusation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where you're writing about this, you we're doing this big profile, you got invited to spend sometime and Cosby, right? But weren't allowed to ask him question?
BOB HUBER: Right.
CASAREZ: In a recent column, New York Times Columnist David Carr criticizes Whitaker. But also cause himself an enabler in and not reporting allege misdeed by Cosby. Those on the no also included me. Whitaker then agrees with Carr Twitting David "You're right. I was wrong to not deal with the sexual assault charges against Cosby and pursue them move aggressively".
CNN has obtained a sworn deposition Bill Cosby gave in 2005 as part of the on going civil lawsuit by former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. In this deposition Bill Cosby says a media outlet suppress another woman story at his request.
Cosby was asked, "What is your understanding of the agreement that you had with the national inquire concerning your exclusive interview? I would give them an exclusive story my words. What will they give you in return? They would not print the story of print Beth's story." Accuser Beth Ferrier says her story was drop from publication in the magazine after Cosby issue his one and only interview on the Constand and Tamara Green accusation.
While not commenting on Ferrier story, American media which publishes the national inquire tell CNN the national inquire more than any other publication was unflinching in our aggressive coverage of allegation against Mr. Cosby beginning in 2000 when everyone else avoided the story.
But all of the stories and the recent decision by Cosby to lead the board of trustees of his beloved Temple University has many suggesting. It is past time for Cosby himself to address the scandal.
Jean Casarez CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Joining me know Scott Simon, host of NPR's Weekend Edition. Saturday, he interviewed Bill Cosby just last month. And you've played a role in this renewed conversation. You had him on and your radio show to talk about his art collection along with his wife.
SCOTT SIMON, NPR'S WEEKEND EDITION: Yes.
LEMON: And you ask him about the resurfacing allegations. Let's listen to what he had to say and then we'll talk about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: This question gives me no pleasure Mr. Cosby, but there have been serious allegations raised about you in recent days. You're shacking your head, no. I'm in the news business. I have to ask the question. Do you have any response to those charges? Shaking your head, no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That was radio interview, but you where there to see his reaction and the reaction of his wife. What was it like?
SIMON: As I soon as I began to say this question, gives me no pleasure Mr. Cosby began to shake his head and go like this and even smile. I think we can now call it kind of theatrical performance smile. I did not look at Mrs. Cosby, the question was just for Mr. Cosby so look straight at him.
LEMON: So it's was a -- you said it was...
SIMON: For give me for doing the bad imitation of Mrs. Cosby.
LEMON: Right.
SIMON: But as soon as I began to say I look at him, I said "Mr. Cosby this question gets no pleasure." And he went.
LEMON: Do you wish you had press further?
SIMON: You know at the time I ask the question the story was in a different stage of development, so there wasn't, you know, quite the reach level of detail of a number of accusers that I think we know about now. Also because he began to shake his head and wave his finger, I felt for radio audience, "I had to begun to describe what he was doing and not persistent more detail charges."
You know, we're not prosecuting attorneys in this business Don. The best I think we can do is ask quite, you know. Usually I get -- I hope some attention for asking people questions that get them to talk and say something interesting. In this case we got a lot of attention for someone who said nothing.
LEMON: Scott in Tonight Show viewers were going to hear from six Cosby accusers. He has denied their allegations all a long, including Janice Dickinson's story. And Cosby's attorney, Martin Singer -- he's attorney Martin Singer calls her story a lie fled out. And said it contradict her own biography that was back in 2002, in interview she did with the New York observer. Do you remember that interview?
SIMON: I don't remember the interview from New York Observer, no.
LEMON: Yeah. If he ever speaks out, what do you think he could or should say? What does he have to say here?
SIMON: Look, here's the benefit of David Brook (ph) a legendary public relation man who can tell him what or not. I think in fact the study response the silence he give us might had been the product of some preparation. Noting that I have expertise to offer I'm not sure this much of anything he could say now. He said the opportunities to say in his own voices not true and his chosen to say.
LEMON: What about Camille?
SIMON: She -- If you have to pleasure of meeting her and she is the nicest...
LEMON: Lovely.
SIMON: ... warmest, most interesting person. You know, I don't want to say anything more than that. It was an honor to meet her.
LEMON: Why do you think that this decade old allegations are so fascinating to the people at home and just to -- just about every...
SIMON: Bill Cosby is scale among many people, a very beloved figure. This is a terrible turn of event for people who grow up watching Dr. Huxtable or I spy before that and Chet Kincaid the high school couch and figuring out where all the wonderful comedy out that he did for Fat Albert. This is a very hard thing to take. And must be said as I note that, at least I know I've got to little harder over the weeks since our interview. But we must remember that there's the testimony in their own voice of a lot of women who attest to being cause a lot of pain to.
LEMON: It was tough as we were listening to Jean Casarez's story there and you could hear some of the language coming form women. And I look at you and said it's hard to believe we're talking about Bill Cosby, Dr. Huxtable. When you heard things like that, do you think that America -- people just don't want to believe that this iconic dad is a sexual predator?
SIMON: Sure. And, you know, when I ask the question, I was hoping he would say not true. But, you know, he doesn't have to be and no one can expect to be Dr. Huxtable, no one that good. No father is that good. I think we're talking about someone if the allegations are true who violated the norms of human decency, who was brutal towards a great number of women over the long period of time.
LEMON: He still has a lot of supporters? And...
SIMON: Yes.
LEMON: ... as we talk you look around at the reacting a lot of people are saying, these women -- why would they come.
SIMON: And we keep underscoring, he's never been convicted in court. Now, I think what I was able to hear of issue just run I think...
LEMON: (inaudible).
SIMON: ... it explains pretty well why nothing has ever come court. But he's never been charge much less convicted.
LEMON: So, you know, the public general, especially American have very short attention spans and memory usually if something happen...
SIMON: Yes.
LEMON: ... and then we move on to the next thing. Do you think that his legacy is forever tarnished, could he ever bounce back from this particular sandal you think?
SIMON: I think it becomes the second part of the first sentence of his obituary. And, you know, he's 78, I'm not sure he has the time or energy to bounce back. Showbizness scandals, you know, you can -- you wait a few years and something else comes along and people talk about the new fill in the blank. And I'm not sure, I'm not sure that it's there. It's difficult, just speaking personally, it's difficult for him to make me laugh right now.
LEMON: Mark Whitaker, the authorized biography of Bill Cosby very thick book. He came on just before the sandal really started.
SIMON: Yeah.
LEMON: Making headline, so that those allegations weren't in the headline. They were all allegations back from 2005, which was last to time they had surface. And so he didn't talk about it, he didn't write about it in the book as well. Are you disappointed that he didn't do that?
SIMON: I know Mark Whitaker. I've got a lot of respect for him.
LEMON: Same here.
SIMON: The reason I didn't interview him about the book was because I (inaudible) through it and can see that he made a point of not going into it and I thought that was too bigger lapse.
LEMON: You thought it was too bigger lapse.
SIMON: I thought it was too bigger lapse. Look, if I was doing a big book like that, who knows what (inaudible) decision I would have made. But I just thought it was not a good book to do.
LEMON: But one would think and I'm just assuming this, I don't know, but in order to write a book like that of someone autobiography. If you're doing that sort of research and you don't ask them about it, there must be some agreement there that you won't do it, in order to gain access.
SIMON: I don't know that, but all I can say is I've gone through the book and said this is not something I wanted to do. LEMON: Do you think he should meet with these women? I don't (inaudible) if they want to meet him.
SIMON: I was about (ph). That would be painful exhibition is meeting them. I not sure. I would say they get to make the call on that. I suppose it might be nice for him to offer. But I don't know.
LEMON: These women are facing such scrutiny. Do you think it's fair?
SIMON: I guess if you're going to come forward and make this very serious. If I can even say grave charges about someone, you have to prepare for the scrutiny. And to be fair to the women I think a lot of them try to be heard a number of years before. A lot of them made a very practical decisions apparently base on what they say that why didn't go past a certain point with the charges. But I guess in our systems we have to be fair. When I say your system, I mean unless are legal system in our publicity system.
LEMON: We'll standby, you're about hear why.
SIMON: Yeah.
LEMON: All right. Scott Simon, thank you very much. And I should say we ask Bill Cosby's attorney Martin Singer for comment in response to our special tonight. We did not get a response. Bill Cosby has an open invitation to come on CNN and tell his side of the story at any point.
We got much, much, much to come. Next five women who accused Bill Cosby of the assault meet face to face for the first time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back everyone. I'm Don Lemon and this is our special, The Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire. More and more women have come forward over the past few weeks with shocking accusation of what they say Bill Cosby did to them. Now for the first time a group of those women, they are right here right now, face-to-face, sharing their stories and you can see my colleague Alisyn Camerota is here with me. She has interviewed many of these accuses, many of the women who in room.
Joan Tarshis is here, Barbara Bowman is here, Kristina Reuhli is here, Patty Mastin, we'll call her P.J., that's she like to be called and also Victoria Valentino. We didn't put the monitor on, right, Alisyn because I sort of expected that you would had the reaction that you did when we put the picture on him on. And that was?
TARSHIS: Revulsion really.
CAMEROTA: You try never to see the Bill Cosby's picture, right?
TARSHIS: I sort of go like this. I couldn't get shut down on my peripheral vision.
LEMON: You can't look at him. Can you Barbara? BOWMAN: Well, we were comparing which picture sparks that scratchy, awful feeling.
CAMEROTA: And which one does?
BOWMAN: For me?
CAMEROTA: Yeah.
BOWMAN: That one.
CAMEROTA: Why?
BOWMAN: Because that was the face that I saw and that was the age.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just above the young one over there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me too.
CAMEROTA: You see the young one...
LEMON: Because it happen when he was...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We both -- we're in the 60s.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 69, both of us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 65 for me.
CAMEROTA: Oh 65.
LEMON: What's going on?
VICTORIA VALENTINO: Me?
LEMON: Yeah.
VALENTINO: I can't look at him. 44 years when his picture went across the screen, when it was in a magazine or a newspaper or I heard his name mentioned, I have to walk away, change the channel. I can't -- I just...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't watch the Cosby show. I never watch it.
VALENTINO: It makes my stomach twist.
PATTY P.J. MASTEN: It makes me sick to my stomach just to look at him. Just sick to my stomach.
You know, he is pretty much probably the world's greatest actor because he fooled a lot of people. Fooled a lot of people. Yup.
LEMON: Barbara, from you first, from all of you, what is it like to meet each other and have the -- is their power in the number here in (inaudible)? BOWMAN: It's unbelievable to be in the presence of these great women. It's a sisterhood. Really is.
You know, the glue that bonds us might be morbid and sad and awful, but it's a strong -- its power and I feel really protective of these women.
CAMEROTA: In the latest round of accusations, Barbara, you were the person, on November 30th you published a piece in The Washington Post and you came forward first. Are you surprised at the basic title wave that -- I mean, more than a dozen women followed you?
BOWMAN: Yeah. Some more and more to come.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yup.
LEMON: Do you think so?
BOWMAN: Oh yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh yes.
CAMEROTA: I want to ask...
BOWMAN: I know.
CAMEROTA: I want to ask P.J. about that because I know you have strong feelings. What makes you think here are other women?
MASTEN: Because I personally, you know, former bunnies that are frightened, shamed and scared to come forward.
VALENTINO: And I know another playmate who he came unto at the breakfast table at the mansion and she put him off and he just look around at the other women and said, nothing but (inaudible). He just looked at indistinctly.
And she -- after I came out, I started getting all of these private messages on Facebook from different people who were coming out to me. P.J. was one of them. And ...
CAMEROTA: Because you both shared the playboy bunny connection?
VALENTINO: Yes.
LEMON: Did you ever tell he (inaudible) that he know about?
MASTEN: No. I told my boss, my immediate boss after it happened. Her replied to me was, do you realize that this is Hefner's best friend? Nobody is going to believe you. Shut your mouth. That was I what I was told by corporate (ph), to keep my mouth closed.
LEMON: And so many of you did for quite a long time.
Alisyn and I want to ask you guys something. We want to do a show off hands. Put your hands up if it -- this is a true story. Do you mind if I start first?
CAMEROTA: Go ahead.
LEMON: How many of you were lured by Bill Cosby, the promise support that it of would help your career?
CAMEROTA: Three of you he said it would help your career.
VALENTINO: Well, he didn't promise to help my career but my girl friend who was one of the original chocolate that bunnies and my bunny trainer told me -- introduced me because my son had just died and I was beginning to run out of money and I'm an actor. And she said, maybe he can get you with job. He played the Playboy Club Circuit. And so she set up an appointment with him on his trailer on the lot.
And she said, and take a picture of your little boy, you know. And she was actually his godmother.
CAMEROTA: How many of you were drugged?
Allegedly...
LEMON: All of you.
CAMEROTA: ...all of you.
VALENTINO: Yes.
CAMEROTA: And that seems to had been from the women that we spoken to his M.O. There are allegations that he would drug women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yup.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
CAMEROTA: Do you -- who of you were members being drugged? Tell me.
TARSHIS: Well, I remember both times, I remember having one Bloody Mary tacked with beer and so I've said he called it a red eye. And I woke up -- I don't know how long later with him taking off my clothes. And you don't pass out from one small drink.
LEMON: How many of you -- you said, you can't look at me. You didn't watch the Cosby Show. Is it something you think about everyday? No?
VALENTINO: I'll tell what it is though Don. It's like a subliminal sound track. I don't think about my son dying 44 years ago everyday but it's always there just under the surface, you know.
LEMON: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
CAMEROTA: Show of hands, how many of you told someone about this when it happened?
LEMON: And how -- And, you know, did people believe you? No?
KRISTINA RUEHLI: For me, I thought I was in a relationship, a loving relationship with a very attractive white man. And I told him, and he have sense e-mailed me back. Believe it or not, I used to have contact with him. And said, oh yeah, I remember you're telling me about that, and I've given that e-mail to CNN.
LEMON: How many of you confronted him since?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, yes.
LEMON: Just to show of hands and anyone did -- you did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And really ineffective, in a sexual childish way two days...
MASTEN: He wouldn't hear of it. There was absolutely no questioning him. He had ultimate authority and the ability to twists the circumstances around to make it our problem and our fault for even going down that road.
LEMON: On Friday, Hugh Hefner issued the statement reading "Bill Cosby has been a good friend for many years and the mere thought of these allegations is truly saddening. I would never tolerate this kind of behavior regardless of who was involved."
When we come back, more with the women who are accusing Bill Cosby. And later, Janice Dickinson on what she alleged is Cosby did to her more than 30 years ago when she was a young supermodel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back to our special here. It's he Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire. I'm Don Lemon and Alisyn Camerota is here with me.
And back with us now with five women who are speaking out about Bill Cosby and what they say he did to them.
Joan Tarshis is here, Barbara Bowman, Kristina Ruehli, Patty Masten or P.J. and Victoria Valentino is here with us as well.
CAMEROTA: And P.J. after all this time, you said there is one case that made you want to come forward now.
MASTEN: When I heard about this young girl, a 15-year old girl being drugged and raped by him in Hefner's mansion all bets are off for me, that's a child. That was a little girl.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm done.
CAMEROTA: Through his attorney, Bill Cosby refutes that story and he says that she's trying to extort money from him.
MASTEN: Well, he refutes every single story that has come out. That is not a surprise to anyone of us, not one of us.
CAMEROTA: How many of you -- show off hands, have tried to get money out of Bill Cosby?
None of you. How many of you would ever take money from Bill Cosby?
LEMON: Interesting...
CAMEROTA: People claimed that they are in for money. They have tried to get money from Bill Cosby.
RUEHLI: He gave 20 bucks to take a cab from me and gave me 20 bucks for the cab.
CAMEROTA: All right.
LEMON: Yeah.
RUEHLI: To me, it would be a form of content from him.
LEMON: And this isn't about -- it's not about sex, it's about power.
RUEHLI: Yes.
MASTEN: He's a predator. He goes after women and he is not even a man. If you have to drug a woman to have sex with her, that's not even a man. He's a coward. He's a despicable coward.
VALENTINO: Look, any rock star, anybody who is as wealthy and famous as he is, there are million groupies that would throw themselves in his feet.
The fact that he has to drug them and have them unconscious while he is doing them, you know, and this is serial -- this is a pattern which speaks to his pathopsychology. He is sociopath, he is a narcissist of the tallest order. A narcissist to personality disorder, lacks empathy, lacks personal insight and lacks conscience.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And no responsibility.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a serial rapist...
(CROSSTALK)
RUEHLI: Yeah. He...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No question.
RUEHLI: ... has the same M.O. with all of us. He identifies a vulnerable victim. He then gets them alone or lures them into place that sometimes where other people are in proximity.
He drugs them. He does his thing with him -- them and then sometimes he waits for them to wake up, so he can hurt, yet more contempt.
LEMON: He still has supporters.
BOWMAN: That's a good point Don, because the man could not possibly be acting alone. And what I mean by that is, the man has power, and wealth, and fame, and has many people in impenetrable circle, many layers of circles of people that are protecting him, that has created this hermetically sealed bubble of protection.
LEMON: Do you think they know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The driver, I'm sure.
BOWMAN: They know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know four men that know.
BOWMAN: They know. I know -- let me just say this, my -- I was beseeched with phone calls, e-mails, texts, any social media from people that, no thanks, and...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, me too.
BOWMAN: ...they are ...
LEMON: Do you hold them partly responsible?
BOWMAN: Yes, I do. And I want to say this, that he manipulated those people in the same way that he manipulated us into silence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
LEMON: Tell me (inaudible) Barbara, when you're talking about people around him. What about his wife? What do you...
TARSHIS: Well, they settle that report. When the settle that report she must have known something was going on.
CAMEROTA: You mean, the 2005 case (inaudible) they settle up and there were 13 Jane Does...
TARSHIS: Exactly.
(CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: You were one of them who came forward, so you think that that alone she must know.
TARSHIS: Well, I would think that the man being as ill as I believe he is, I feel sorry for her. I don't know why she's stayed in the marriage unless she was forced to, out of fear. I felt sorry for his children.
CAMEROTA: Do you believe she's a victim of some level?
(CROSSTALK)
VALENTINO: And not only that I think two that until everybody started coming out, each one of us thought it was just me. I mean, we're isolated (inaudible). CAMEROTA: You thought that you were alone.
(CROSSTALK)
VALENTINO: Absolutely, I had no idea that this was a pattern on behavior and that there were other people. I thought I was just some kind of stupid vulnerable girl.
LEMON: I want to hear from Joan, you didn't think you...
TARSHIS: No. I knew the night -- the first time that this was going on, I know that there are probably hundreds of women that he had already done this too and there would be hundreds more.
It was just intuitively, I felt that.
LEMON: Bill Cosby's wife Camille has not commented publicly since this latest accusations came to light.
But back in 1997 she said, "All old personal negative issues between Bill and me were resolved years ago. We are united as a couple."
When we come back, more with Bill Cosby's accusers, what these five women think should happen in him now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back to our special, The Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire. I'm Don Lemon.
CAMEROTA: I'm Alisyn Camerota.
LEMON: And we're back with the five women who are speaking out about Bill Cosby right now.
CAMEROTA: What do you all want to see happen now to him?
MASTEN: I wanted him -- is taken away from him.
CAMEROTA: You want his awards taken out?
MASTEN: Absolute. Take those awards away from him. He is a predator. The sad thing for me is that he also victimizes four daughters. It's now they have to hear all about their daddy and those poor girls and poor (inaudible).
VALENTINO: And I would like to see Temple University if that is the university who gave him his honorary PhD. I think he should be stripped of it.
CAMEROTA: Absolutely.
VALENTINO: The people who have to work hard for it and earned it deserve it. He, under these circumstances, certainly does not deserved it.
RUEHLI: He insists you call him Dr. Cosby.
VALENTINO: Absolutely.
BOWMAN: Well there has to be -- this has to be a revolution. It has to change the fabric of this culture. We have a responsibility to -- for public awareness and to educate this action and through support and to reach out to all of the other women that are closely related to this and beyond.
TARSHIS: What I want to happened to Bill Cosby is the happening?
CAMEROTA: And what is that, oh that's?
TARSHIS: For him to lose base with the public. I had said that I've lost my anger towards the man and the resentment towards the man but I wonder if that's really because of what's happening to him now, because this is what I dreamt. This is what I dreamt for years, that he lose his base.
BOWMAN: They call it karma. They call that karma.
MASTEN: That's right.
BOWMAN: We're being restored. Lives are being restored and then that's a beautiful thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're being validated. For the first time we're validated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
VALENTINO: That is the most important thing because we have been invalidated and not just we but other women who have been -- and men who have been victims of rape. Nobody would believe us, we would be invalidated. We would be demeaned and degraded in addition to what happened to us.
RUEHLI: We have the power now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
RUEHLI: It's was -- rape is about power. And there's another thing, it's not just that he has betrayed us. We -- none of us had any reason to distrust him. But there are a lot of people, if you read the comments out there who say, "Oh, this couldn't be true," and some celebrities have come forward to stand up for him.
LEMON: So there's Whoopi Goldberg and then there's a Singer Jill Scott and he tweeted them -- I think we had the tweet where he tweeted, you know, thank you for your support...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the first thing that he said...
LEMON: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... I mean this is -- he is breaking... (CROSSTALK)
CAMEROTA: One of the alleged the victim who is black said that it was particularly hard for her because he is such a symbol for the black community. He broke boundaries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
CAMEROTA: He broke the ceiling. And that made it particularly came(inaudible).
LEMON: Very good question. Anyone else who want to talk about that?
RUEHLI: Yeah, and that's on the subject of betrayal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's manipulation.
RUEHLI: He has not just betrayed us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right...
RUEHLI: He has betrayed...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Black community.
RUEHLI: Every person of color...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone.
RUEHLI: ... the broke though of that he is supposedly made.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
RUEHLI: When he -- what happened to me happen, he was an eye spy. Now, nobody believe you he was a spy. But in the Cosby Show...
LEMON: Everyone thinks he's something else.
RUEHLI: Everybody thinks...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the best.
RUEHLI: ... he is basically a fake, a pretender and behind that mask is sociopath.
LEMON: Bill Cosby received an honorary degree from Temple University in 1991. He earned his doctorate on education in 1977 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. On November 26, a Spokesman for UMass Amherst issued the statements saying, "Bill Cosby has agreed to resign as an honorary co-chair of UMass Amherst's capital campaign. He no longer has any affiliation with the campaign nor does he serve in any other capacity for the University."
On December 1st, Bill Cosby issued a statement, resigning from the Board of Trustees of Temple University. It reads, "I have always been proud of my association with Temple University. I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interest of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from Temple University Board of Trustees."
University statement that same day reads "The Board of Trustees accepts Dr. Cosby's resignation from the board and thanks him for this service to the university.
When we come back, five Cosby accuses on whether they think Bill Cosby should speak out now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back to our CNN Special, the Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire.
One of the most powerful moments of our conversation come when I asked the five women who accused Bill Cosby of sexual abuse whether they think Cosby should speak out now.
Listen.
Do you think he should say something, yes, no, or you don't care? What do you think?
RUEHLI: I don't care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
RUEHLI: As long as it's long and painful, and I think that he never cared what happened to us.
LEMON: Barbara.
BOWMAN: No.
MASTEN: We suffered hundreds -- collectively, hundreds of years of horrible intestinal emotional strife, because of what this man put all of us through and the hundreds...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
MASTEN: ... that haven't come forward yet. I want him to suffer, suffer like we've all suffered all these years. You can ask any of these women, how are you relationships? How are your marriages? How are your jobs? How are your psyches?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are your dreams?
MASTEN: How are your dreams?
TARSHIS: I'm having nightmares. I've been waking up to 3:00 in the morning, 4:00 in the morning having nightmares thinking bad things are going to happen. CAMEROTA: We also just want to say that through his attorney that he has said that this didn't happen. These are all impossible. They're fantastical.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we're liars. We're liars.
VALENTINO: He took advantage of my grief over my little boy drowning to get to my girlfriend, my roommate because he had a thing for her.
(CROSSTALK)
VALENTINO: He drugged us both.
LEMON: What about when he lost his son? You just mentioned your son, when...
VALENTINO: Yeah.
LEMON: ... he lost his son, did you think about him?
VALENTINO: Believe me, when I heard that I felt terrible for his wife. Of course felt terrible for his child who was an adult, but man, I have to tell you I want Karma.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did too.
VALENTINO: And I wondered every minute, "Did he ever think of me and my child and what it meant for me to lost my only child and for him to do that to me within four months of my child drowning, my six year old biracial child?"
TARNISH: Nancy Grace had something really interesting. She said are all of these women lying and one person telling the truth or is one person lying...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
TARNISH: ... and all of these women telling the truth.
CAMEROTA: Interesting.
BOWMAN: I think it's remarkable that, first of all, we're very, very grateful to be here and to be heard and to watch the masses finally listening.
LEMON: But you're also starting an important conversation. You are...
BOWMAN: Yes.
LEMON: You really -- you're breaking boundaries. I've really...
BOWMAN: Yes, we are.
LEMON: ... thinking that...
BOWMAN: And it's so important. And as happy as we are to be here, it's really sad in a way that we have...
LEMON: It's...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's there's a reason to be here.
BOWMAN: To keep talking and explaining why and this shifting culture and shifting...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
BOWMAN: ... education for younger people and teaching what to look out for as well as embracing the victims in the world who have no voice.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
BOWMAN: I hope that we are creating a new platform for those people to say, "I'm not alone and I don't need to be alone anymore." It wasn't my fault.
RUEHLI: And, you know, with me I escaped him. And I'm comfortably retired with eight grandchildren and my life is as happy as anyone's life could be, but this was important. There is lot of things to be said about power and the abuse of it, distrust and betrayal. I didn't need to do this for any reason whatsoever, except to support and encourage others.
CAMEROTA: We thank you all for your voice and for sharing your very personal story with us. And we wish you all best of luck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you Alisyn.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
LEMON: Coming up, another woman who accuses Bill Cosby, Janice Dickinson. Alleges Cosby raped her more than 30 years ago. She tells her emotional story when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Welcome back to our special, The Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire. I'm Don Lemon and I'm joined now by Janice Dickinson. He made headlines when she accused Bill Cosby of raping her in 1982 when she was a young super model.
Janice, thank you for joining us. How you're doing?
JANICE DICKINSON: You know, Don, I am Janice. I'm doing OK, Don. And I am so grateful to those women that just came out and told their stories because it vindicates me and to hear the posttraumatic stress that they've been through and all of your pertinent questions that really are direct about these issues for women, not just these women that have been raped by a predator but women all over the world. And bravo to those women. Thank you.
LEMON: And I said to them that, you know, it felt like they're -- it was very heavy in here and, you know, we made -- they made mentioned of that. It felt like therapy for them, that they said, they also felt like it was therapy, not only for women but for the country.
DICKINSON: It's therapy for women and men that have had their innocents robbed. What happened to me was -- first I had denial, "Oh no, this couldn't have happened to me." And I'm going to tell you something, I knew that in my heart of hearts that there would be something called victim shaming. You know, I know that if I told my story, I'd be victim shame, just look at starting -- just like I'm getting victim shamed by a lot of people in the community.
LEMON: What can be done to stop this, Janice?
DICKINSON: Come out and tell the truth Bill Cosby, tell the truth, you. You're not even a monster. You're despicable rapist. You're a despicable cheater. I feel sorry for your family. I feel sorry for the actors that are not receiving their residuals from the Cosby Show. I feel sorry for them. I feel sorry for all of the people that can't wrap their mind around it because it's such a horrible toxic subject that I can speak only for me, that drove my behavior into posttraumatic stress.
LEMON: Are you going to take legal action? Are you contemplating that?
DICKINSON: I don't know yet, but I certainly I am. You know, what, he is going to get his, that's all I'm saying. He'll get his. I just want you all to know that I'm taking this, sitting down. And I'm going to keep talking. I'll write my own book and you'll read about what really happened. And I'm going keep talking about this four women, four men's daughters, any women daughters, granddaughters, sisters, brothers, and anyone else that's been a victim, especially from Bill Cosby.
LEMON: This is CNN tonight. I'm Don Lemon. You just saw our CNN Special, The Cosby Show, A Legend Under Fire. We've got more to come on the scandal just ahead.
Meanwhile, outreach spreading over police killings of African-American men and boys from Ferguson to the NYPD chokehold case, to the killing of a 12 year old playing with an air gun in Cleveland.
