One More Supermodel: Cosby Drugged Me
[su_right_ad]Beverly Johnson writes in Vanity Fair of her experience with Bill Cosby.
I spent the 60s, 70s, and part of the 80s in awe of Bill Cosby and his total domination of popular culture. He was the first African American to star in a dramatic television series, I Spy, a show my family in Buffalo, New York, always watched…
Imagine my joy in the mid-80s when an agent called to say Bill Cosby wanted me to audition for a role on the The Cosby Show…
I was in the midst of an ugly custody battle for my only child. I needed a big break badly and appearing on The Cosby Show seemed like an excellent way of getting Hollywood’s attention. I’d appeared in one or two movies already, but my phone wasn’t exactly ringing off the hook with acting jobs…
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, we walked upstairs to a huge living area of his home that featured a massive bar. A huge brass espresso contraption took up half the counter. At the time, it seemed rare for someone to have such a machine in his home for personal use.
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 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 motioned for me to come over to him as though we were really about to act out the scene. He put his hands around my waist, and I managed to put my hand on his shoulder in order to steady myself.
[su_thin_right_skyscraper_ad]As I felt my body go completely limp, my brain switched into automatic-survival mode. That meant making sure Cosby understood that I knew exactly what was happening at that very moment.
“You are a motherfucker aren’t you?”…
What happened next is somewhat cloudy for me because the drug was in fuller play by that time. I recall his seething anger at my tirade and then him grabbing me by my left arm hard and yanking all 110 pounds of me down a bunch of stairs as my high heels clicked and clacked on every step. I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs.
It was still late afternoon and the sun hadn’t completely gone down yet. When we reached the front door, he pulled me outside of the brownstone and then, with his hand still tightly clenched around my arm, stood in the middle of the street waving down taxis.
When one stopped, Cosby opened the door, shoved me into it and slammed the door behind me without ever saying a word. I somehow managed to tell the driver my address and before blacking out, I looked at the cabbie and asked, as if he knew: “Did I really just call Bill Cosby ‘a motherfucker’?”
Anomaly 100 December 11th, 2014 at 8:07 pm
That does it. Beverly Johnson, an icon on the catwalk by anyone’s standards, was an amazing influence in so many lives in the fashion industry. If she could do it, anyone could. She had the presence, that magic and that look which filled magazines and fashion shows for years.
Bill Cosby has some ‘splaining to do.
tiredoftea December 11th, 2014 at 8:08 pm
She’s beautiful!! …sigh…
Anomaly 100 December 11th, 2014 at 8:18 pm
Oh yeah!
tiredoftea December 11th, 2014 at 8:19 pm
OOOOHhhhh YEEaaahhhh!!
tracey marie December 11th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
calm down
tiredoftea December 11th, 2014 at 8:35 pm
Sorry! But, she’s beautiful!
tracey marie December 11th, 2014 at 8:37 pm
I agree, she is amazing even now.
tiredoftea December 11th, 2014 at 8:42 pm
Especially now. She’s more beautiful than ever!
rg9rts December 12th, 2014 at 3:38 am
Pittyu pat Pitty pat Wap TAG….new url EM
TraceyLee Taylor December 12th, 2014 at 10:01 am
So if someone is a fashion icon it must be true? Speaking up without backing it up means nothing. Hot does not equal credibility in my book. By endorsing what is right now just unsubstantiated claims we have trial by interview, with zero legal claims. Lets all hope we never find ourselves on the wrong end of being accused of something we have ZERO proof for.
Anomaly 100 December 12th, 2014 at 12:42 pm
Read the last sentence of my comment then get back to me.
whatthe46 December 11th, 2014 at 8:41 pm
when i saw her face, i thought, oh sh’t! that’s it. just OH SH’T!
KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker December 11th, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Enough is enough.
It’s pretty apparent that Cosby used his fame, money and power for his own personal vices.
It’s time to deal with the lecherous schmuck.
Jaz December 11th, 2014 at 9:06 pm
When I read her story today, I nearly wept. I’m so sorry that her, along with dozens of others fell prey to Cosby’s misconduct. I’ve been a fan of Beverly Johnson for eons. She epitomes grace and dignity.
As for Cosby, what a way to end a long established career. Stellar by most accounts, but the recent unfolding of his disgraceful behavior spanning 30+ years shows a vileness to his character. What a sad legacy to leave behind with this Jekyll and Hyde character.
🙁
CHOCOL8MILK December 11th, 2014 at 9:45 pm
Karma’s a bitch Bill.
Budda December 11th, 2014 at 10:43 pm
How many is this now? Where have they all been the last 10, 20 years?
AAASuperPatriot December 11th, 2014 at 11:22 pm
Women have been accusing him for a long time — and he even settled out-of-court with some of them.
AAASuperPatriot December 11th, 2014 at 11:24 pm
Who thinks that Bill Cosby has stopped? If he is guilty as accused it’s hard to imagine that he stopped 25 years ago.
rg9rts December 12th, 2014 at 3:36 am
One busy little beaver wasn’t he
fancypants December 12th, 2014 at 6:03 am
at least one calls him a busy little bastard
rg9rts December 12th, 2014 at 6:23 am
mother effer