Bill Cosby responds to accusations in We Need to Talk About Cosby docuseries, rep calls director a 'PR hack'

Bill Cosby has spoken out following the premiere of W. Kamau Bell's docuseries We Need to Talk About Cosby at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.

"Mr. Cosby has spent more than 50 years standing with the excluded; made it possible for some to be included; standing with the disenfranchised; and standing with those women and men who were denied respectful work… because of race and gender… within the expanses of the entertainment industries," a representative for the actor and comedian said in a statement to EW, the subject line of which read: "Official Response to PR Hack W. Kamau Bell's Showtime Documentary, We Need to Talk About Cosby."

Matt Rourke-Pool/Getty Images Bill Cosby

The statement went on, "Mr. Cosby continues to be the target of numerous media that have, for too many years, distorted and omitted truths… intentionally," with Cosby's representative adding that despite reports of allegations, "none have ever been proven in any court of law."

"Mr. Cosby vehemently denies all allegations waged against him," the statement concludes. "Let's talk about Bill Cosby. He wants our nation to be what it proclaims itself to be: a democracy.

Bell, a popular comedian and writer who created and starred in Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell and United Shades of America, directed the in-depth docuseries, which chronicles Cosby's storied professional career as well as his downfall following accusations of sexual harassment and assault by more than 60 women.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Bell responded to the statement from Cosby's representative, saying: "The funny thing about this is, because of how America works and how racism works here, there are ways in which a system of white supremacy would target a powerful Black man to bring him down — and that has happened throughout history in this country. But that doesn't always mean that the Black man didn't do something wrong." He continued: "There are racist forces that are happy for Bill Cosby's downfall, but that doesn't mean that there aren't more than 60 women who have accused him of rape and sexual assault, and those aren't credible accusations."

Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and received a prison sentence, but he was released this past June after his conviction was vacated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The docuseries spends a considerable amount of time detailing his behavior during the filming of his popular NBC sitcom The Cosby Show with director's assistant Steve Watkins talking about Cosby inviting a select group of well-dressed female audience members to his tapings.

"What we learned later [was] a modeling agency would bring these girls over, and they would talk to Mr. [Cosby]," Watkins says in an interview.

The docuseries also includes an account from one of those models, Eden Tirl, who recalls how after one quick meeting with Cosby, he offered her a small role on the show and her own dressing room, something that not even show regulars were given.

SHOWTIME 'We Need to Talk About Cosby' key art.

"I knew enough to know that this is all now getting really strange, and I'm uncomfortable right away," Tirl said, discussing how Cosby attempted to get her to visit his dressing room for a private meeting. When she finally did, Tirl alleges the comedian made her do a sensual "acting exercise."

"I don't believe that that's the first time that happened. I don't believe that the people on that set didn't know what was happening," Tirl insisted. "A lot of people knew. Because you can't do what he did unless you have other people supporting what you're doing."

We Need to Talk About Cosby premieres Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.

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