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Raven-Symoné defended the complicated legacy of her former co-star, Bill Cosby.
Symoné came to the defense of Cosby’s legacy, which includes “The Cosby Show.” The sitcom — which starred Phylicia Rashad, Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Keshia Knight Pulliam and Sabrina Le Beauf — was one of the most popular and influential shows of the 1980s.
“Separate the creator from the creation, and that’s just where I live,” Symoné said during an appearance on Monday’s episode of the “Hate to Break It to Ya” podcast.
“The creation changed America, changed television,” she added.
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Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable and Raven-Symoné as Olivia Kendall in “The Cosby Show.” (Alan Singer/NBC via Getty Images)
According to Symoné, Cosby paved the way for the hiring of Black actors and crew members.
“Now it’s like mandated, but back then, especially on a Black show, it was very important to see yourself, not just in front, but behind the camera as well,” she said. “And Mr. Cosby instilled that in all of us, and I took it to Disney, and anywhere I went afterwards.”
The show’s legacy was tarnished after Cosby was accused of sexual assault. Cosby’s 2018 conviction was overturned in 2021. Since then, additional women have come forward with accusations against the comedian.
“He has been accused of some horrific things, and that does not excuse [anything],” Symoné said. “But that’s his personal. Personally, keep that there, and then, business-wise, know what he did there as well. Both can live, and I think our culture is right to not do wrong. You just can’t do wrong.”
Raven-Symoné defended Bill Cosby’s legacy. (Al Levine/NBC via Getty Images)
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Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theodore “Theo” Huxtable, Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable, Phylicia Rashad as Clair Hanks Huxtable, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable and Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable in “The Cosby Show.” (Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank)
Warner, who died July 20, claimed he was proud of the show’s legacy before his sudden death.
“Regardless of how some people may feel about the show now, I’m still proud of the legacy and having been a part of such an iconic show that had such a profound impact on — first and foremost, Black culture — but also American culture,” Warner told People magazine in 2023.
Warner gained fame as the son of Heathcliff Huxtable, played by Cosby, on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992. He appeared in all 197 episodes of the NBC sitcom.
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Raven-Symoné joined “The Cosby Show” in the sixth season. (Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Symoné gained fame at age three after starring in “The Cosby Show.” She joined the show in the sixth season before the sitcom’s end in 1992.
She expanded her career to music, movies and landed additional roles on television. Symoné’s fame skyrocketed when she starred in “That’s So Raven” on the Disney Channel.
“I got into the Disney family when I was 13 on a movie called ‘Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,’” Symoné recalled in the podcast episode. “It was just really interesting because nobody from Disney at the time had a career like mine prior to signing with Disney.”
Raven-Symoné starred as Raven Baxter in “That’s So Raven” from 2003 through 2007. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content)
“I already had two shows, I already had two albums, I already have a movie [and] I already have done all kinds of things,” she said.
Symoné explained that she and her team tried to separate what fell under Disney’s umbrella from what belonged solely to her.
“It all became wonderfully muddy when the character was named after me,” Symoné explained. “It was amazing because, very rarely, do women get that as much as a man does … but I was the youngest to have a show named after her of color and female. As I continued my career, I said, ‘Let’s keep going with Disney. They’re doing a great job.’”
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