Garcelle Beauvais Opens Up About Making Bill Cosby Revelation In Her Memoir
Even after Bill Cosby's controversial release from prison in June 2021, the disgraced star was still fighting legal battles over past sexual assault claims. In June, a woman named Judy Huth was awarded $500,000 in damages, per Variety, after a jury found Cosby guilty of assault when she was a minor.
So it's no surprise that other celebrities are still airing out Cosby's dirty laundry. In her April memoir, "Love Me As I Am," the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Garcelle Beauvais details a frightening encounter she had with Cosby as a young, fresh-faced model. As she recalled to Andy Cohen in a June SiriusXM radio interview, Cosby had contacted her agency, asking for her phone number. Seeing him then as "everybody's dad" and "bigger than life," Beauvais agreed to give it to him. After landing a role on a 1986 episode of "The Cosby Show," Beauvais claims the TV icon invited her to his house to talk about her "career" and "go over a scene together." Things got dicey when Cosby allegedly offered Beauvais a drink. As she said on the "Bevelations" SiriusXM show in May, "There was something eerie about not knowing if there's anybody else in the house ... and I wasn't a drinker." Listening to her inner voice, Beauvais quickly exited the scene at that point.
While most would imaginably sympathize with Beauvais' account of her Cosby experience, the Bravo star recently admitted she had her reservations about sharing it at all.
Garcelle Beauvais hopes others see her Bill Cosby story as a cautionary tale
On August 3's episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" (via Page Six), Garcelle Beauvais shared the anxiety she experienced over recounting her scary encounter with Bill Cosby in the memoir, "Love Me As I Am." Admitting to co-star Dorit Kemsley that these were "stories that I've never told," Beauvais also shared, "I'm a little scared." Although Kemsley was supportive of her friend's candor on such an important topic, Beauvais was worried her recollections would "shock people."
On the "Bevelations" SiriusXM show in May, Beauvais revealed that her sons, Oliver, Jax, and Jaid, were a primary reason she didn't come forward sooner with the revelation. "My kids were little and my divorce [was happening at the time], I didn't want to drag them into it," Beauvais told host Bevy Smith. The "Coming to America" actor also experienced some initial self-doubt, not knowing if she had "anything concrete." Not wanting to distract from the dozens of women who spoke out against Cosby in the mid-2010s, Beauvais also didn't want the misconception that she was "just piling on and 'oh, I just wanted to be part of that and have my name out there.'" Ultimately, her inclusion of her own Cosby experience was borne out of a desire to encourage "listening to your gut" in such scenarios.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).