Raven-Symoné: separate Cosby Show legacy from misconduct claims

Raven-Symoné said she separates the creative legacy of her former The Cosby Show costar Bill Cosby from the allegations of sexual misconduct against him, telling host Jamie Kennedy on the November 3 episode of the Hate to Break It to Ya podcast that she keeps his personal life and his work distinct. "Separate the creator from the creation. And that's just where I live," she said, adding that the show's influence "changed America. Changed television."

Symoné, 39, who played Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show from 1989 to 1992, credited her early break on the series with shaping her career and with helping expand opportunities for Black actors both on screen and behind the camera. She said the lessons she took from that environment followed her into later work at Disney, where she starred in That's So Raven and other projects. Symoné acknowledged the seriousness of the accusations against Cosby. "He has been accused of some horrific things. And that does not excuse," she said. "So personally, keep that there, and then businesswise, know what he did there as well."

Cosby, 88, has been accused by more than 60 women of assault, sexual assault and sexual harassment for alleged incidents...