Raven-Symoné Acknowledges Bill Cosby’s Cultural Legacy Despite Calling Assault Allegations ‘Horrific’

Raven-Symoné recently spoke about Bill Cosby, saying she separates his influence on television from the se**** assault allegations against him. The former Cosby Show star shared her thoughts on the “Hate to Break It to Ya” podcast.

“Separate the creator from the creation,” Symoné said. “And that’s just where I live. The creation changed America. Changed television.”

She also acknowledged Cosby’s personal actions. “He’s also been accused of some horrific things,” she said. “That does not excuse, but that’s his personal [life]. So personally, keep that there, and then business-wise, know what he did there as well. Like you said, both can live, and I think our culture is right to…don’t do wrong. Don’t do wrong personally. You just can’t do wrong.”

Symoné played Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show from 1989 until 1992. Cosby co-created the series in 1984 and starred as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. The show earned six Emmy awards and ran for 197 episodes, making a major impact on American television.

Cosby first faced se**** assault allegations in 2004 from Andrea Constand, but the claims became widely publicized in 2014. That year, Barbara Bowman, who supported Constand’s civil case, wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post titled, “Bill Cosby ra*** me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?”

In the following years, dozens of women came forward with similar allegations. Cosby was ordered to stand trial in 2016, and his first trial in 2017 ended in a mistrial. He was convicted in a 2018 retrial on three counts of aggravated indecent assault and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.

In 2021, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania overturned his conviction due to a prior agreement with Montgomery County prosecutor Bruce Castor, which prevented prosecution if Cosby provided a deposition in Constand’s civil case.

Symoné’s comments reflect a distinction between Cosby’s contributions to television and his personal actions. Her perspective highlights the complicated way society can view someone’s professional achievements while acknowledging serious wrongdoing in their private life.

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