Kathie Lee Gifford Reveals When Bill Cosby Crossed A Line
In 2014, when allegations against Bill Cosby first came to light it rocked the fabric of many people's childhoods. How do you wrap your head around the fact that the comedic good-guy and family man, everyone's sitcom dad, Dr. Huxtable is a sexual predator?
Even Kathie Lee Gifford, who considered Cosby a friend and colleague, had trouble reconciling the man she thought she knew and the man he actually was. It took reading supermodel Beverly Johnson's raw essay in Vanity Fair that made Gifford realize the truth — not only had the once revered comedic genius done these unspeakable criminal acts to a multitude of women, but he had crossed a line with her, as well. When they worked together in the '70s, Bill Cosby made a pass at her and tried to kiss her.
Although she briefly discussed the incident back in 2014 on the Today Show with Hoda Kotb, she was still defending his character and recalled that after rebuffing his advances he respected her wishes and that's where it ended adding, "A lot of married men come on to single women, but once I said, 'No, absolutely not,' he respected it" (via US Weekly).
With time comes perspective, however, and six years later, Gifford's encounter with Cosby is back in the headlines after the release of her memoir, It's Never Too Late. Featuring a chapter on the incident, Gifford revealed that it was a lesson in "how you think you know somebody" (via People).
Kathie Lee Gifford believes every accuser's story but is still saddened by them
Kathie Lee Gifford's encounter with Bill Cosby happened while she was serving as an opening act for his stand-up routine in the late '70s. Describing the incident to Hoda Kotb she revealed, "I will admit, towards the very last times I saw him, he did try to kiss me. I said, 'Bill, no, we're friends,' and he said, 'OK, goodnight,' and I said, 'Goodnight.' And I went to my room, and he went into his room" (via CBS). But it was Beverly Johnson's account of Cosby drugging her cappuccino that gave Gifford what she described at the time as "a chill," because during the tour that was something Cosby always did for her and her 2 backup dancers — bring them cappuccinos. She recalled, "every night...he would have made cappuccinos for all three of us. I always thought it was such a kindness and so sweet... and I just don't want it to be true" (via US Magazine).
Sadly it was true, and it was something she had to face, explaining, "I didn't doubt the women's stories. I don't know why he behaved the way he did with the other women," further adding, "I found those accusations against him very painful, because that's not the man I knew" (via People).
Perhaps the saddest part of Gifford's retelling of her encounter with Bill Cosby is her normalizing the inappropriate behavior; revealing to the outlet, "He was not the first man during a multi-decade career that came on to me, and I'm just very grateful that I never let any of them take it any further than that."