Turns Out That Cosby Tour Will Not Be Lectures About Sexual Assault

at
Share This Post

This past Thursday, a week after comedian Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case was declared a mistrial, Cosby spokespeople Andrew Wyatt and Ebonee Benson appeared on Good Day Alabama to discuss their and Cosby’s reaction to the news, as well as Cosby’s plans for the future. Unprompted, Wyatt stated towards the end of the interview that Cosby and his team were in talks “with civic organizations and churches who want to hear Mr. Cosby speak at town halls about the issue of criminal justice.” The duo then went on to imply that Cosby would be speaking to people around the country in an effort to help them avoid sexual assault charges. The clip justifiably went viral, and now one of Cosby’s reps is claiming that the media took the whole thing out of context.

Ebonee Benson appeared on CNN’s New Day Weekend on Sunday morning to address the newfound uproar surrounding Cosby, stating that “The town hall meetings are not about sexual assault. I will repeat, these town hall meetings are not about sexual assault.” She then went on to say that the original purpose of the town halls “was about restoration of legacy, much to what Mrs. Cosby spoke on in her statement is the sensationalism brought on by the media. This is another example of that.” It’s the media, argued Benson, who made the proposed town halls about sexual assault, not Cosby’s team.

There’s very little room for interpretation in their original statements, however; Both Benson and Wyatt quite clearly stated in the interview that the town halls would be in regards to sexual assault and how it can affect young people and married men, with the goal being to educate people about the law.

“This is bigger than Bill Cosby,” said Wyatt last week. “You know, this issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today. And they need to know what they’re facing when they are hanging out and partying, when they are doing certain things that they shouldn’t be doing. And it also affects, you know, married men.”

“Laws are changing. Laws are changing,” added Benson at the time. “The statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault are being extended. So, this is why people need to be educated on a brush against the shoulder. You know, anything at this point could be considered sexual assault. It’s very — it’s a good thing to be educated about the law.”

At no point during the town hall discussion did either representative mention a “restoration of legacy” or anything that could be construed as such, so it’s baffling how Benson can so vehemently deny her and Wyatt’s words when they were caught on camera for all to see.

Read more comedy news.

The following two tabs change content below.

Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler

Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.