Conan O’Brien took shots at two controversies in one bit on Thursday night’s episode of “Conan.” The TBS late-night host was talking about the “Deflategate” scandal rocking the New England Patriots — in which the team has been accused of using under-inflated footballs during their AFC championship game — when he found a way to work Bill Cosby into the joke.
He set it up by saying that “Deflategate isn’t the first time the Patriots have been accused of cheating. He then cut to various comedic stills showing things like an extra-wide goal post, a helicopter lifting quarterback Tom Brady above the opposing team’s defensive line, and even a grizzly bear in a Patriots uniform.
He then cut to a shot of Cosby sitting on the sidelines. “And then there’s the time they put Bill Cosby in charge of the opposing team’s Gatorade.”
The crowd gave an enthusiastic response to this last joke.
Cosby has been beset in recent months by more than two dozen accusations of sexual assault from women throughout his career. Most of the allegations share similar elements, including the claim that Cosby drugged their drinks before committing the assault. Cosby, through his lawyer, has denied the allegations.
See the comedy bit from TBS’s “Conan” here.
“Conan” airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET on TBS.