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Bill Cosby Breaks Silence After Prison Release, Insists He’s Innocent

By Michael Bamidele

01 July 2021   |   11:40 am

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US comedian Bill Cosby spoke out on Wednesday after being released from prison following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's decision to overturn his sexual assault conviction. Cosby, 83, shared a statement on Twitter, saying, "I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence." He added, "Thank you to all my…

Bill Cosby outside his home in Elkins Park, Pa., after being released from prison Wednesday. (Matt Rourke / Associated Press)

US comedian Bill Cosby spoke out on Wednesday after being released from prison following the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision to overturn his sexual assault conviction.

Cosby, 83, shared a statement on Twitter, saying, “I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence.”

He added, “Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”

The prosecution of Cosby was one of the first major milestones of the #MeToo movement, as women came forward with their tales of unwanted sexual advances and harassment in the workplace.

Cosby served nearly three years of a 10-year sentence in prison after Andrea Constand testified in a criminal case that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by the actor.

Constand and five other women’s testimony helped convince jurors to convict Cosby on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in 2018. Cosby’s defense denied the accusations, as well as similar allegations made against him outside the courtroom by more than 60 women.

The decision was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court because of an agreement he made with then-Montgomery County district attorney Bruce Castor in 2005 stating that stating that if Cosby sat for a deposition in a civil case Constand had brought, he’d be immune from criminal prosecution.

Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt thanked the comedian’s legal team and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, calling Wednesday’s ruling a moment of justice for Black Americans.

“This is the justice Mr. Cosby has been fighting for,” Wyatt said in a statement. “They saw the light. He waived his Fifth Amendment right and settled out of court. He was given a deal and he had immunity. He should have never been charged.”