Supermodel Beverly Johnson Writes Detailed Account of Alleged Bill Cosby Attack - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Mr. Television · 12-11-2014, 04:36 PM

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/ce...193745232.html

Supermodel Beverly Johnson Writes Detailed Account of Alleged Bill Cosby Attack

Former supermodel Beverly Johnson is opening up about an alleged frightening encounter with Bill Cosby.

Johnson — who was the first African American woman to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1974 and was named by The New York Times as one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion — gets straight to the point with the title of her emotional first-person essay for Vanity Fair, "Bill Cosby Drugged Me. This Is My Story."

Johnson, 62, supposedly first met the actor, now 77, when she was called about auditioning for a small role on The Cosby Show in the mid-'80s. Cosby played an obstetrician and frequently used models as extras to portray pregnant women sitting in his office waiting room.

"It was a small part with one or two speaking lines at most, but I wanted in," she notes, adding that she was in a custody battle with her ex at the time and was looking for a big break. Although she was a top model during the '70s and '80s, her previous acting credits only included small parts in TV movies.

Supermodel Beverly Johnson at the height of her career (Getty Images)
Cosby's handlers invited her to a taping to get a lay of the land, which was the first of three meetings with the actor before he allegedly tried to attack her. The second was at another taping in which she brought her daughter.

"Afterward, Cosby asked if I could meet him at his home that weekend to read for the part. … [He] suggested I bring her along, which really reeled me in," she recalls. Indeed, they visited Cosby at his New York brownstone that weekend.

"Looking back, that first invite from Cosby to his home seems like part of a perfectly laid out plan, a way to make me feel secure with him at all times. It worked like a charm," she continues. "Cosby suggested I come back to his house a few days later to read for the part. I agreed, and one late afternoon the following week I returned. His staff served a light dinner and Bill and I talked more about my plans for the future."

After the meal, Cosby proposed that they go upstairs to his living room, which is when the afternoon apparently took a turn:

"Cosby said he wanted to see how I handled various scenes, so he suggested that I pretend to be drunk. (When did a pregnant woman ever appear drunk on The Cosby Show? Probably never, but I went with it.)

"As I readied myself to be the best drunk I could be, he offered me a cappuccino from the espresso machine. I told him I didn’t drink coffee that late in the afternoon because it made getting to sleep at night more difficult. He wouldn’t let it go. He insisted that his espresso machine was the best model on the market and promised I’d never tasted a cappuccino quite like this one.

"It’s nuts, I know, but it felt oddly inappropriate arguing with Bill Cosby so I took a few sips of the coffee just to appease him.

"Now let me explain this: I was a top model during the 70s, a period when drugs flowed at parties and photo shoots like bottled water at a health spa. I’d had my fun and experimented with my fair share of mood enhancers. I knew by the second sip of the drink Cosby had given me that I’d been drugged — and drugged good."

Cosby then supposedly called Beverly over, and as her body went limp, she switched into "survival mode."

“You are a mother--ker aren’t you?” she asked him. She repeated "motherf--ker" over and over which supposedly angered Cosby. He allegedly grabbed her by her arm — "I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs" — and threw her in a cab, sending her home.

After the shock wore off, Beverly wanted to confront Cosby so she apparently called him on the private number he gave her. Bill's wife answered and "politely" informed her that they were in bed together and that he wouldn't be coming to the phone.

"I didn’t call back the next day or any other day after that," Beverly writes. "At a certain moment it became clear that I would be fighting a losing battle with a powerful man so callous he not only drugged me, but he also gave me the number to the bedroom he shared with his wife."

Johnson says she was inspired to finally speak up because of all of the other women who have come forward to tell their stories, including close friend Janice Dickinson.

"How could I be any less brave?" she concludes.

Cosby's lawyers did not respond to Vanity Fair's request for comment.

Vahan · 12-11-2014, 04:42 PM

I've said this on IMDB, and I will say it right here:

It is a pretty telling sign when not even Hollywood is rallying behind Bill Cosby.

Mr. Television · 12-11-2014, 04:43 PM

Here's the vanity Fair article.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/20...-johnson-story

Mr. Television · 12-11-2014, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vahan

I've said this on IMDB, and I will say it right here:

It is a pretty telling sign when not even Hollywood is rallying behind Bill Cosby.

It tells me that they knew Cosby wasn't a good guy. I can't believe how we were all fooled. 50 years...unbelievable.

cleverfun3000 · 12-11-2014, 04:49 PM

isiahthomas · 12-11-2014, 04:53 PM

This is really sad and disturbing what Bill has done to these women. Beverly Johnson's story about her encounter with Bill is really sad. It's pathetic that he tried to be slick with these women trying to get sex by putting drugs in their drinks. Beverly said she didn't want a cappachino. So why would Bill insist she have some? If she don't want none, leave it alone. Then he gives her his phone number to his bedroom and when she calls to argue with him because of what he did to her, his wife answers the phone to tell Beverly that he won't be talking to her. That's messed up. I don't have no sympathy for what's happening to him because he brought this on himself. I saw video footage yesterday on Youtube of him and his wife Camille being interviewed about these allegations and he didn't have no comments. Camille didn't have much to say either and she was bald headed which surprised me hahahahahahahahahahaha. I wonder if she has cancer because women that are bald headed usually have cancer.

Retro4Life · 12-11-2014, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

It tells me that they knew Cosby wasn't a good guy. I can't believe how we were all fooled. 50 years...unbelievable.

It is stunning, isn't it? Even when I kind of soured on him during the 80's and thought he got arrogant and preachy (and overrated) I always thought he had some very basic integrity and that, despite his flaws, he really was a force for good in the world.

You look at things like this and wonder how there could be such a mix of good and evil in a person. We all want things to be black or white (no pun intended) but they just aren't most of the time.

Really hard to watch Fat Albert or pretty much anything with him in it, now.

cleverfun3000 · 12-11-2014, 05:04 PM

Bill Cosby is worth a staggering amount of money. Women who marry for wealth will stay with a man who strays because at the end of the day, he's coming back to her and 50% of his wealth is hers. She wisely chooses to stand by her man - all the way to the bank.

isiahthomas · 12-11-2014, 05:26 PM

LOL@Cleverfun3000 hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. You're right and Camille isn't gonna leave him.

Mr. Television · 12-11-2014, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cleverfun3000

Bill Cosby is worth a staggering amount of money. Women who marry for wealth will stay with a man who strays because at the end of the day, he's coming back to her and 50% of his wealth is hers. She wisely chooses to stand by her man - all the way to the bank.

It's one thing to stay with a cheater. It's another to stay with a rapist. And I don't believe for one second that she didn't know what he was. I have no respect for her.

TMC · 12-11-2014, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/ce...193745232.html

Supermodel Beverly Johnson Writes Detailed Account of Alleged Bill Cosby Attack

Former supermodel Beverly Johnson is opening up about an alleged frightening encounter with Bill Cosby.

Johnson — who was the first African American woman to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1974 and was named by The New York Times as one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion — gets straight to the point with the title of her emotional first-person essay for Vanity Fair, "Bill Cosby Drugged Me. This Is My Story."

Johnson, 62, supposedly first met the actor, now 77, when she was called about auditioning for a small role on The Cosby Show in the mid-'80s. Cosby played an obstetrician and frequently used models as extras to portray pregnant women sitting in his office waiting room.

"It was a small part with one or two speaking lines at most, but I wanted in," she notes, adding that she was in a custody battle with her ex at the time and was looking for a big break. Although she was a top model during the '70s and '80s, her previous acting credits only included small parts in TV movies.

Supermodel Beverly Johnson at the height of her career (Getty Images)
Cosby's handlers invited her to a taping to get a lay of the land, which was the first of three meetings with the actor before he allegedly tried to attack her. The second was at another taping in which she brought her daughter.

"Afterward, Cosby asked if I could meet him at his home that weekend to read for the part. … [He] suggested I bring her along, which really reeled me in," she recalls. Indeed, they visited Cosby at his New York brownstone that weekend.

"Looking back, that first invite from Cosby to his home seems like part of a perfectly laid out plan, a way to make me feel secure with him at all times. It worked like a charm," she continues. "Cosby suggested I come back to his house a few days later to read for the part. I agreed, and one late afternoon the following week I returned. His staff served a light dinner and Bill and I talked more about my plans for the future."

After the meal, Cosby proposed that they go upstairs to his living room, which is when the afternoon apparently took a turn:

"Cosby said he wanted to see how I handled various scenes, so he suggested that I pretend to be drunk. (When did a pregnant woman ever appear drunk on The Cosby Show? Probably never, but I went with it.)

"As I readied myself to be the best drunk I could be, he offered me a cappuccino from the espresso machine. I told him I didn’t drink coffee that late in the afternoon because it made getting to sleep at night more difficult. He wouldn’t let it go. He insisted that his espresso machine was the best model on the market and promised I’d never tasted a cappuccino quite like this one.

"It’s nuts, I know, but it felt oddly inappropriate arguing with Bill Cosby so I took a few sips of the coffee just to appease him.

"Now let me explain this: I was a top model during the 70s, a period when drugs flowed at parties and photo shoots like bottled water at a health spa. I’d had my fun and experimented with my fair share of mood enhancers. I knew by the second sip of the drink Cosby had given me that I’d been drugged — and drugged good."

Cosby then supposedly called Beverly over, and as her body went limp, she switched into "survival mode."

“You are a mother--ker aren’t you?” she asked him. She repeated "motherf--ker" over and over which supposedly angered Cosby. He allegedly grabbed her by her arm — "I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs" — and threw her in a cab, sending her home.

After the shock wore off, Beverly wanted to confront Cosby so she apparently called him on the private number he gave her. Bill's wife answered and "politely" informed her that they were in bed together and that he wouldn't be coming to the phone.

"I didn’t call back the next day or any other day after that," Beverly writes. "At a certain moment it became clear that I would be fighting a losing battle with a powerful man so callous he not only drugged me, but he also gave me the number to the bedroom he shared with his wife."

Johnson says she was inspired to finally speak up because of all of the other women who have come forward to tell their stories, including close friend Janice Dickinson.

"How could I be any less brave?" she concludes.

Cosby's lawyers did not respond to Vanity Fair's request for comment.

Likely reasons why she didn't say anything at the time:

1. Proving rape is hard enough today, but 40 years ago it was damn near impossible without some proof of extreme violence.
2. Bev admitted to experimenting with drugs (like many did and still do). That would have undoubtedly been used against her. Maybe even suggesting she was using herself and not actually drugged by Cosby who merely thought she wanted it.
3. To accuse the much loved Bill Cosby of drugging her would have killed her career. There is no way she could have continued modeling as a known Cosby accuser.
4. She had no way of beating the Goliath that was Cosby and his powerful associates.
5. Shame
6. Misplaced Guilt
7. Avoidance, just wanting to forget about it and move on.

RetroGuy2000 · 12-12-2014, 12:29 AM

The sheer number of women coming forward confirms the allegations for me, but it is just so hard to reconcile the brilliant comedian I grew up watching with this monster.

Flying Dutchman · 12-12-2014, 10:58 AM

I put this comment below on another part of the board. But it seems fitting here too.

Bill Cosby was a very powerful man. For many years he was spokesperson for Jello. He had allot of things in the fire that earned him many friends and much respect throughout the entertainment community. Either he was a magician at hiding his sick habits, or the people that did know on the set of the show, were afraid to expose him out of fear. When you're a powerful man, you can do allot of damage to someone.

I am willing to go with the latter. I think they did know, but out of fear didn't say anything.

And one more thing. For every 1 person that would have exposed him, and said he was doing these things, I am willing to bet that there were probably 10 people to counter, saying he would have never done these things. And people would have believed it. They would have blown it off to a disgruntled employee and Bill would have got away with it. And the public would have thought "Bill Cosby do such a thing? I don't believe it"

I will add this, which was not on the other board. When someone with his power is exposed, that power is taken away and replaced with vulnerability and then their victims are usually safe to come out and tell their side without repercussions. BUT! And I am making no hasty judgment on Miss. Johnson, this sort of thing also draws out the opportunists, ready, willing and able to take advantage of someones vulnerabilities. They are called VULTURES!

robyrob · 12-12-2014, 11:12 AM

at this point I would think that it would be very difficult to not believe at least some of the claims about what Mr Cosby has done, and certainly anyone willing to come to his defense would really be sticking their neck out in a very bad place if they were to say anything more than "well, I didn't see it."

however, he has way too much money and pull in the industry - as well as the statute of limitations to hide behind - for any of this to really have any effect on him. All he has to do is continue to say "no comment" and wait for this to go away, or him to die. Unless the defamation suit goes anywhere he really isn't going to be punished for any of this; and let's face it, even if someone successfully wins a defamation lawsuit, any money they are awarded isn't going to be noticeable to Bill Cosby's wealth. So essentially he gets away with it, even if it does tarnish his image.

isiahthomas · 12-12-2014, 02:01 PM

Stuck In The 70's, I agree. Camille ought to be ashamed of herself if she knew what Bill was doing. She should've left him a long time ago because she knows what he was doing. I think she was afraid to leave him because of money and she probably would've been broke if she left LOL. But then again I know she would've gotten a lot of money in the divorce settlement.

12-11-2014, 04:36 PM	#1
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	Supermodel Beverly Johnson Writes Detailed Account of Alleged Bill Cosby Attack https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/ce...193745232.html Supermodel Beverly Johnson Writes Detailed Account of Alleged Bill Cosby Attack Former supermodel Beverly Johnson is opening up about an alleged frightening encounter with Bill Cosby. Johnson — who was the first African American woman to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1974 and was named by The New York Times as one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion — gets straight to the point with the title of her emotional first-person essay for Vanity Fair, "Bill Cosby Drugged Me. This Is My Story." Johnson, 62, supposedly first met the actor, now 77, when she was called about auditioning for a small role on The Cosby Show in the mid-'80s. Cosby played an obstetrician and frequently used models as extras to portray pregnant women sitting in his office waiting room. "It was a small part with one or two speaking lines at most, but I wanted in," she notes, adding that she was in a custody battle with her ex at the time and was looking for a big break. Although she was a top model during the '70s and '80s, her previous acting credits only included small parts in TV movies. Supermodel Beverly Johnson at the height of her career (Getty Images) Cosby's handlers invited her to a taping to get a lay of the land, which was the first of three meetings with the actor before he allegedly tried to attack her. The second was at another taping in which she brought her daughter. "Afterward, Cosby asked if I could meet him at his home that weekend to read for the part. … [He] suggested I bring her along, which really reeled me in," she recalls. Indeed, they visited Cosby at his New York brownstone that weekend. "Looking back, that first invite from Cosby to his home seems like part of a perfectly laid out plan, a way to make me feel secure with him at all times. It worked like a charm," she continues. "Cosby suggested I come back to his house a few days later to read for the part. I agreed, and one late afternoon the following week I returned. His staff served a light dinner and Bill and I talked more about my plans for the future." After the meal, Cosby proposed that they go upstairs to his living room, which is when the afternoon apparently took a turn: "Cosby said he wanted to see how I handled various scenes, so he suggested that I pretend to be drunk. (When did a pregnant woman ever appear drunk on The Cosby Show? Probably never, but I went with it.) "As I readied myself to be the best drunk I could be, he offered me a cappuccino from the espresso machine. I told him I didn’t drink coffee that late in the afternoon because it made getting to sleep at night more difficult. He wouldn’t let it go. He insisted that his espresso machine was the best model on the market and promised I’d never tasted a cappuccino quite like this one. "It’s nuts, I know, but it felt oddly inappropriate arguing with Bill Cosby so I took a few sips of the coffee just to appease him. "Now let me explain this: I was a top model during the 70s, a period when drugs flowed at parties and photo shoots like bottled water at a health spa. I’d had my fun and experimented with my fair share of mood enhancers. I knew by the second sip of the drink Cosby had given me that I’d been drugged — and drugged good." Cosby then supposedly called Beverly over, and as her body went limp, she switched into "survival mode." “You are a mother--ker aren’t you?” she asked him. She repeated "motherf--ker" over and over which supposedly angered Cosby. He allegedly grabbed her by her arm — "I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs" — and threw her in a cab, sending her home. After the shock wore off, Beverly wanted to confront Cosby so she apparently called him on the private number he gave her. Bill's wife answered and "politely" informed her that they were in bed together and that he wouldn't be coming to the phone. "I didn’t call back the next day or any other day after that," Beverly writes. "At a certain moment it became clear that I would be fighting a losing battle with a powerful man so callous he not only drugged me, but he also gave me the number to the bedroom he shared with his wife." Johnson says she was inspired to finally speak up because of all of the other women who have come forward to tell their stories, including close friend Janice Dickinson. "How could I be any less brave?" she concludes. Cosby's lawyers did not respond to Vanity Fair's request for comment.
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12-11-2014, 04:49 PM	#5
cleverfun3000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 18, 2008 Location: Manhattan Posts: 1,685
	__________________ I'm not speaking for everyone. Just myself and those that agree with me.

12-12-2014, 12:29 AM	#12
RetroGuy2000 Julie,Julie Anne,&Felice 4Ever Forum Star Join Date: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 16,914	The sheer number of women coming forward confirms the allegations for me, but it is just so hard to reconcile the brilliant comedian I grew up watching with this monster.
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12-12-2014, 11:12 AM	#14
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,200	at this point I would think that it would be very difficult to not believe at least some of the claims about what Mr Cosby has done, and certainly anyone willing to come to his defense would really be sticking their neck out in a very bad place if they were to say anything more than "well, I didn't see it." however, he has way too much money and pull in the industry - as well as the statute of limitations to hide behind - for any of this to really have any effect on him. All he has to do is continue to say "no comment" and wait for this to go away, or him to die. Unless the defamation suit goes anywhere he really isn't going to be punished for any of this; and let's face it, even if someone successfully wins a defamation lawsuit, any money they are awarded isn't going to be noticeable to Bill Cosby's wealth. So essentially he gets away with it, even if it does tarnish his image.
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12-11-2014, 04:42 PM	#2
Vahan Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 14, 2008 Posts: 2,712	I've said this on IMDB, and I will say it right here: It is a pretty telling sign when not even Hollywood is rallying behind Bill Cosby.

12-11-2014, 04:43 PM	#3
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	Here's the vanity Fair article. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/20...-johnson-story

12-11-2014, 04:53 PM	#6
isiahthomas Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Aug 20, 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 10,704	This is really sad and disturbing what Bill has done to these women. Beverly Johnson's story about her encounter with Bill is really sad. It's pathetic that he tried to be slick with these women trying to get sex by putting drugs in their drinks. Beverly said she didn't want a cappachino. So why would Bill insist she have some? If she don't want none, leave it alone. Then he gives her his phone number to his bedroom and when she calls to argue with him because of what he did to her, his wife answers the phone to tell Beverly that he won't be talking to her. That's messed up. I don't have no sympathy for what's happening to him because he brought this on himself. I saw video footage yesterday on Youtube of him and his wife Camille being interviewed about these allegations and he didn't have no comments. Camille didn't have much to say either and she was bald headed which surprised me hahahahahahahahahahaha. I wonder if she has cancer because women that are bald headed usually have cancer.

12-11-2014, 05:04 PM	#8
cleverfun3000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 18, 2008 Location: Manhattan Posts: 1,685	Bill Cosby is worth a staggering amount of money. Women who marry for wealth will stay with a man who strays because at the end of the day, he's coming back to her and 50% of his wealth is hers. She wisely chooses to stand by her man - all the way to the bank.

12-11-2014, 05:26 PM	#9
isiahthomas Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Aug 20, 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 10,704	LOL@Cleverfun3000 hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. You're right and Camille isn't gonna leave him.

12-12-2014, 10:58 AM	#13
Flying Dutchman Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,266	I put this comment below on another part of the board. But it seems fitting here too. Bill Cosby was a very powerful man. For many years he was spokesperson for Jello. He had allot of things in the fire that earned him many friends and much respect throughout the entertainment community. Either he was a magician at hiding his sick habits, or the people that did know on the set of the show, were afraid to expose him out of fear. When you're a powerful man, you can do allot of damage to someone. I am willing to go with the latter. I think they did know, but out of fear didn't say anything. And one more thing. For every 1 person that would have exposed him, and said he was doing these things, I am willing to bet that there were probably 10 people to counter, saying he would have never done these things. And people would have believed it. They would have blown it off to a disgruntled employee and Bill would have got away with it. And the public would have thought "Bill Cosby do such a thing? I don't believe it" I will add this, which was not on the other board. When someone with his power is exposed, that power is taken away and replaced with vulnerability and then their victims are usually safe to come out and tell their side without repercussions. BUT! And I am making no hasty judgment on Miss. Johnson, this sort of thing also draws out the opportunists, ready, willing and able to take advantage of someones vulnerabilities. They are called VULTURES!

12-12-2014, 02:01 PM	#15
isiahthomas Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Aug 20, 2002 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 10,704	Stuck In The 70's, I agree. Camille ought to be ashamed of herself if she knew what Bill was doing. She should've left him a long time ago because she knows what he was doing. I think she was afraid to leave him because of money and she probably would've been broke if she left LOL. But then again I know she would've gotten a lot of money in the divorce settlement.