“The Talk” host Aisha Tyler didn’t mince words when discussing Bill Cosby‘s long string of sexual assault scandals and its impact on the comedian’s legacy.
“We have to deal honestly with the fact that for all intents and purposes, this guy is a sociopath,” the actress said on Monday’s episode of the CBS daytime talker. “And that’s a horrible thing to have to deal with, but we have to look at it honestly.”
The panel had been discussing the controversial Ebony magazine cover featuring a shattered photo of the Huxtable family from “The Cosby Show.” Many readers complained that the cover attempted to tarnish the reputation of a culturally significant show.
Despite the backlash on social media, Tyler said that she doesn’t have a problem with the cover and its attempt to reconcile Cosby’s legacy as a trailblazer for African American actors and his new reputation as an accused rapist.
“I understand why people struggle with this cover — they feel like the intention is to besmirch this image of this perfect African American family,” she said. “But that’s not what the cover is intended to do. It’s intended to speak frankly both to the great effect he had on our culture and the incredible deep painful heartbreak people are feeling at this betrayal.”
She continued, saying that the “greatness” of “The Cosby Show” cannot be diminished by the comedian’s personal issues. “We have to have an authentic, honest conversation about who this man was, what he meant to us, and what he’s done,” she said.