Right now, formerly beloved comedian Bill Cosby is in the middle of the mother of all public relations nightmares. At the last count, 16 women had come forward and accused the comedian of plying them with alcohol and raping them. There seems to be a consistency to the charges. Cosby allegedly targeted young, impressionable women and exploited their ambition for fame.
Some of the women went to the police, only to see the cases never went forward. In other cases, Cosby settled out of court. Although it seems Cosby will not face criminal charges for his alleged crimes, he has already paid a price. The Cos may have beaten the courts, but he is losing in the court of public opinion. His TV pilot has been put on ice and he has also lost several other development deals. But is there any way for Cosby to minimize the damage to his reputation and restore his image? I thought long and hard about this and here are the suggestions I would give, if I was handling his PR.
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Apologize, but don’t admit guilt. The evidence against Cosby is mounting daily and it’s getting hard for him to say that all of these women are telling the same lie. I would suggest Cosby shoot a YouTube video and admit that he has “behaved ungentlemanly in the past.” Putting out a video reduces the blowback that could come from a press conference. He can also say he is seeking spiritual and psychological counselling to remedy his problem. Also, making a large donation to a women’s organization can’t hurt.
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Get some supporters out there. While we have seen several accusers come forward, including former supermodel Janice Dickinson, we haven’t heard many voices expressing support for Cosby. The only one I can think of is Raven-Symone, who came forward to deny a false story claiming Cosby had abused her. FOX News commentator Stacey Dash has also said Cosby was the “perfect gentleman,” around her. Cosby needs to get more female supporters to come forward and talk about their positive experiences with him.
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Go away for a while. In PR, we teach clients to never say no comment or hide from the press, but in this case a strategic withdrawal might be a good thing. If Cosby does any interviews, the reporter is bound to bring this up. The American public and the media, have a short attention span. Give it a few months and there will be another scandal. Remember Rep. Gary Condit, the congressman who was caught up with the scandal of the missing intern Chandra Levy? No, probably not. He was all over the media, until 9-11 came along, and people promptly forgot about him.
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Appoint a stand in. While Cosby is in his forced exile, he can put forward a replacement to stand in for him. I would suggest his wife, Camille, who seems to be a sympathetic figure.
As badly as Cosby is looked at now, this media storm will pass. The American public is incredibly forgiving. If people can get over Michael Jackson and R. Kelly’s misdeeds, anything is possible.
While I have my doubts–serious doubts –that all of the accusations against Cosby are legitimate, it goes beyond the realm of possibility to believe all the accusations are not.
Which leaves only one logical conclusion: Bill Cosby is a rapist. Equally logical, it also follows that in the sorry spectacle that is shaming of the beloved and respected comic, he is getting exactly what he deserves. While it is true in a court of law, Cosby likely has little to fear, the court of public opinion can dispense its own harsh justice against him.
As of yet, the jury is still out. Most Americans, especially African-Americans still hold Cosby in high esteem. But as the slow drip-drip-drip of rumors, allegations, and graphic horror stories continues that could gradually change.
Most of your suggestions on how Cosby should respond are reasonable, but I don't know how practical they are and even the suggestion it should fall to Camille Cosby to defend her husband in a P.R. campaign is mind-bogging in its cynical manipulation of the one person involved in this sorry mess no one can debate has been harmed by Cosby's wandering eyes and hands.
Mrs. Cosby doubtlessly has known her husband to be a serial philanderer. How she has lived with that is between the two of them. Now a good portion of the populace believes him to be a rapist as well. And The woman most betrayed here is now supposed to hit the talk shows and news programs to say, “Bill didn't do it. He's a good man?”
Sending out Camille as Bill's surrogate is not only offensive, it's callous. Leave her out of this. If she has something she wants to say or do on his behalf, let that be her idea, not part of a public relations offensive. Allow Mrs. Cosby her dignity and some small degree of sympathy. These “Stand By Your Man” campaigns are humiliating for the wife and manipulative of the public.
Any attempt of a career rehab from Bill Cosby must start with Bill Cosby and a mere “apology” isn't going to get it done. Doing a puff piece interview with a friendly host lobbing softball questions isn't going to get it done.
Unless and not until Cosby sits down and gives straightforward, candid and tough answers to straightforward, candid and tough questions, the only result that can come from a manipulative and patently fake attempt to play on the public's sympathy for a grizzled old comedian is more smoke and more mirrors.
Don't hold your breath waiting for the premiere of The Confessions of Cliff Huxtable.