Raven Symoné Shares How Bill Cosby Impacted The Entertainment Industry

Raven Symoné opened up like by no means earlier than about one among her early mentors, Bill Cosby, throughout a latest episode of the “Hate to Break It to Ya” podcast. Symoné, 39, has a very fascinating connection to Cosby, beforehand one of many trade’s greatest names earlier than being convicted of felony assault, contemplating she starred in his sequence, “The Cosby Present,” on the younger age of three. Cosby’s authorized woes landed him in jail in 2018, the place he served just some years earlier than his launch. Whereas Symoné briefly shared her ideas on the 88-year-old’s private struggles throughout her most up-to-date interview, she spent the vast majority of her time boasting concerning the change Cosby dropped at the leisure trade.

Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault towards Andrea Constand in 2015, stemming from an incident that occurred in 2004. The actor, who many as soon as known as “America’s Dad,” went to trial a couple of years later, which concluded in a mistrial.

In 2018, the actor was retried and located responsible on all three counts and later sentenced to a few to 10 years in state jail.

In 2021, nevertheless, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court docket overturned Cosby’s conviction, ruling {that a} non-prosecution settlement he made with a earlier district lawyer in 2005 ought to’ve prevented him from being charged to start with, finally releasing him after three years.

Symoné acknowledged the seriousness of Cosby’s authorized woes throughout the “Hate to Break It to Ya” podcast, admitting he is been “accused of some horrific issues.” For Symoné, although, she made clear that what occurred is “his private life,” urging the general public to “hold that there.”

Alternatively, Symoné believes that people ought to be conversant in “what he did” on the “enterprise” aspect as properly, explaining that Cosby was one of many first entertainers to observe hiring Black crew members behind the scenes.

Whereas Symoné admits that she sees extra individuals of colour on completely different units at present attributable to trade mandates, she recalled how “necessary” it was for her to see individuals who appeared like her “not simply in entrance, however behind the digital camera as properly” earlier than crediting “Mr. Cosby [for instilling] that in all of us.”

In accordance with Symoné, Cosby’s insistence on having Black crew members behind the scenes was so significant to her that she advocated for extra range on her personal exhibits, together with the “That is So Raven” spin-off, “Raven’s Residence.” She mentioned, “I took it to Disney and I took it to wherever I went afterwards, even when it wasn’t the norm.”

“I used to be like, ‘No, I’ve to have the ability to see myself.’ As a result of if I don’t ask for it, who will?” she continued.

And in a 2022 interview, earlier than season 5 of “Raven’s Residence” aired on TV screens around the globe, the “Cheetah Women” star known as Disney’s dedication to celebrating range “necessary” for his or her expertise.

“It’s taking what’s occurring in our society proper now and validating it. I’m so joyful and proud and humbled to be a part of the channel, however I’m additionally humbled simply to be a part of our present, as a result of we, too, are bringing that range throughout the writers’ room,” she mentioned. “It’s so necessary as a result of that’s our world. You can not shut your eyes to it, and we now not will. To have the ability to give that in a constructive mild and actually present what society is true now can solely additional respect and kindness sooner or later.”

One other “Cosby Present” forged member whom Symoné opened up about in 2025 is Malcolm Jamal Warner, the fun-loving Theo Huxtable on the ’80s sitcom, who handed away all of a sudden in Costa Rica earlier this 12 months. In accordance with a earlier report from The Blast, the actor, 54, died by asphyxia after drowning in July.

Symoné addressed the heartbreaking incident with a video on Instagram that confirmed solely a black display screen with the phrases “I like you” written on it.