Expected at 'He Said-She Said' Cosby Trial: His TV Daughter

And maybe his 'Cosby Show' wife and son, in addition to Keshia Knight Pulliam
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2017 5:55 AM CDT
Expected at 'He Said-She Said' Cosby Trial: His TV Daughter
In this May 23, 2017, file photo, comedian Bill Cosby leaves after attending the second day of jury selection in his sexual assault case at the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Bill Cosby's trial for allegedly assaulting Andrea Constand begins Monday, and at least one member of his former TV family will reportedly be watching from the sidelines, per NBC News. Keshia Knight Pulliam, 38, who played little Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show, is expected to be in the Norristown, Pa., courthouse to watch the proceedings against her 79-year-old former boss, with Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt telling People that Pulliam won't be there to "proclaim guilt or innocence," but simply "to finally hear the truth for herself." Wyatt says Cosby's wife on the show, Phylicia Rashad, will also appear in the courtroom at some point, though the New York Daily News says it has been told that a Rashad appearance Monday is "unlikely" because she's working. Reports of Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played son Theo Huxtable, attending are similarly being bandied about.

The New York Times offers an overview of what to expect during the trial—"perhaps America's highest profile celebrity trial since that of OJ Simpson"—including expected lines of evidence, the Cosby legal team's anticipated strategy, and some juror information. CNN says the trial has come down to a "he said-she said" scenario, with one other alleged victim expected to testify against Cosby in addition to Constand. "What Cosby is hoping for is that the jury forgets about the other 48 [alleged victims]," a Fordham criminal law professor notes. Meanwhile, Constand herself is reportedly ready to face intense grilling on the witness stand. "There's no trepidation, no fear," a close friend who's also one of Cosby's alleged victims tells NBC. "She used to play basketball and she prepared for those games like nobody else and that is what she has done here." (Vice calls the trial a "test for America.")

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