Bill Cosby had his sexual assault conviction overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday after serving less than three years of a three- to ten-year sentence. He spent his first night out of prison “fielding congratulatory calls from his celebrity pals,” presumably including Phylicia Rashad, and shameless comedy club owners.
“He stayed up until 2 in the morning telling jokes,” Cosby’s spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “This morning, he’s been talking to a number of promoters and comedy club owners over his breakfast this morning.” Wyatt said that “the world is welcoming [Cosby] back,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Janice Dickinson, one of the 60 women who have accused Cosby of rape and sexual assault, told Entertainment Tonight, “I would say, don’t be so happy with yourself, buddy, because you know what you did to me.”
Though Cosby has always maintained his innocence, Wyatt said the timing of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday that led to the comedian’s release came as a surprise. Cosby learned of it from a prison guard in the state detention center outside Collegeville where he’d served more than two years of a three-to-10-year sentence.
Cosby could face “fresh claims for defamation” if he goes on tour, according to attorney Lisa Bloom, for “claiming vindication from his accusers.” That’s likely the only reason he hasn’t already popped up on someone’s awful podcast.