Former TV show son-in-law advises Cosby to 'move to the country'

Joseph C. Phillips and Lisa Bonet played husband and wife on The Cosby Show. Photo / Supplied

A cast member of The Cosby Show turned conservative commentator said the comedian who has been accused of multiple cases of sexual assault should "go live a quiet country life" to preserve what remains of his reputation.

Joseph C. Phillips played Lt Martin Kendall - for those who can remember, husband of Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and father of Olivia Kendall (Raven-Symone) - on The Cosby Show and an episode of the spinoff A Different World. Since then, he's filled out his resume with turns as a conservative commentator on CNN and NPR, among many other outlets.

In a 1500-word piece called "Of course Bill Cosby is guilty!" posted to his website on Monday, Kendall explored his complex relationship with the comedian, calling Cosby his "boyhood idol" and a great influence - but a philanderer whose infidelity "seemed to be common knowledge" and who took advantage of women.

"As the accusations began to increase, I became increasingly disturbed," Kendall wrote. "I was fairly certain that some of the women were lying through their teeth, but certainly not all of them. Discovering that the man you idolise may be a serial rapist is a bit traumatic. I don't imagine it is anything near to the trauma of the alleged victims. Nevertheless, I found it unsettling."

Kendall said it was "the last gasp" when a friend he did not name told him Cosby had sexually assaulted her.

"Through tears, she told me her story," Kendall wrote. "She cursed him for violating both her trust and her body. She cursed herself for not being smarter, and for degrading herself in pursuit of success. I listened patiently. As she began to run out of steam, she turned to me. 'Do you believe me?'"

Kendall did. His conclusion: The Cosby that won the Presidential Medal of Freedom should not be forgotten, but it's time for the comedian to retreat from public life.

"The good Bill has done over the years is real and enduring," he wrote. "I am not prepared to simply dismiss his brilliance, his wisdom, or his legacy. You see, all of that is a part of who I am as a man - as a Black man. I am not going to toss all of that away, at least not yet. It seems to me that one should be able to look with sober eyes and yet hold on to those elements of substance that are both true and comforting."

Kendall suggested a rural setting.

"Bill, you have a family who loves you, a wife who is devoted to you; you have more money than you can spend," he wrote. "Please, go live a quiet country life. Allow those of us who truly love you to preserve just a bit of our enchantment."

Kendall's mini-opus shone a light on the many other Cosby cast members who have responded - or refused to respond - to questions about the comedian's alleged rapes. Some examples:

Raven-Symone: "I was NOT taken advantage of by Mr Cosby when I was on The Cosby Show! I was practically a baby on that show and this is truly a disgusting rumour that I want no part of! Everyone on that show treated me with nothing but kindness. Now keep me out of this!"

Phylicia Rashad (TV wife Clair Huxtable): "What has happened is declaration in the media of guilt without proof."

Malcolm Jamal Warner (TV son Theo Huxtable): "He's been very influential and played a big role in my life as a friend and mentor ... Just as it's painful to hear any woman talk about sexual assault, whether true or not, it's just as painful to watch my friend and mentor go through this."

Keshia Knight Pulliam (TV daughter Rudy Huxtable): "Ultimately, I wasn't there ... So I can't really speak to what transpired, I can only speak to the man I know. And he was an amazing, philanthropic, inspirational guy who always treated me very well."

In his essay, Kendall said he was not as visible as the Cosby luminaries named above, but shares the burden.

"I was low man on the totem pole. I can't imagine how inundated with inquiries were Malcolm Jamal Warner or Phylicia Rashad. It must have been hell for them. It was no picnic for me. Everyone wanted to know if my idol was guilty."

As provocative as his piece was, Kendall has not shied away from controversy in the past. In his 2006 book He Talk Like a White Boy, Kendall put himself forward as a leading voice of black conservatism - and said his success and lack of "patois" prevented him from succeeding with the ladies. "I discovered much to my chagrin that black women in particular suffer from something called the Not Black Enough Syndrome. Black women like the jive talk."