Bill Cosby is taking the acts that led to the demise of his legacy to the big screen.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Andrew Wyatt, a spokesperson for the disgraced comedian, revealed news on Thursday, July 1, that the 83-year-old was “in contract with documentary” teams. Cosby also reportedly plans to return to touring for speaking appearances and standup tours.
“He’s Bill Cosby. He is one of the greatest of the world. There’s always going to be a different narrative… but you don’t have 1 million followers and counting if you don’t have support,” Wyatt said, standing outside his home in Elkin Park, new Philadelphia. Cosby’s deal is seemingly still in the early phases, but Wyatt said, “Trust me. This guy wants to talk.”
The New York Post stated that the “Uptown Saturday Night” star is said to be working with former “Good Morning America” producer Michelle Major. Major had a hand in Vice Media’s “Black Lives Matter: A Global Reckoning” and allegedly attended the actor’s trial. Cosby told the outlet that the purpose behind the documentary is to get “the truth out and get people to understand that this is serious; it must be revealed what happened.” The project reportedly will be a five-part documentary covering Cosby’s life, trials, prison experience and more.
The star, whose infamous “Poundcake” speech essentially told Black people to cease blaming racism and governmental institution as the reasoning for their poor living situations and lack of resources, now wants to help those who’ve been falsely accused and convicted in the court of law.
“We can’t let up. We’ve got to mobilize,” Cosby said. “We’ve got to get the NAACP, and it’s Crisis Magazine involved, and black journalists, black men writers, black women writers, everyone must put their pen to paper and get the truth out.”
However, experts in celebrity crisis communications say the documentary is just one of very few options available to Cosby to save what’s left of his legacy. A source the Post did not identify said in a statement that “If he follows through by highlighting and potentially financing successful appeals of others claiming egregious prosecutorial misconduct, this approach could potentially salvage something positive for his legacy.” That person added, “But, with so many accusations and such damning testimony against him, it will not rehabilitate his image.”
As previously reported, Cosby was released from prison on Wednesday, June 30, after completing more than two years of his three-to-10-year sentence for charges stemming from a 2018 sexual assault case. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors violated an agreement previously made between the actor and former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. Legally, he cannot be retried for the same charges again.
