The first day of Bill Cosby’s retrial in Norristown, Pennsylvania took a turn when a topless protester confronted the famous comedian who stands accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women. According to BuzzFeed News, the woman was quickly tackled and arrested by police, who promptly walked her into the courthouse and away from Cosby and the media. The protester, Nicolle Rochelle, later told reporters that the “main goal” of her act “was to make Cosby uncomfortable because that is exactly what he has been doing for decades to women.” Also, she previously starred in several episodes of The Cosby Show as a child.
Sure enough, a quick check with iMDB reveals that Rochelle featured in four episodes of Cosby’s popular sitcom between 1990 and 1992. BuzzFeed News was the first to report the protester’s prior connection to Cosby. Despite this odd factoid, however, it wasn’t something that Rochelle emphasized while speaking with reporters after her arrest — nor was it something she said during the brief moment that she had with Cosby himself. When the 80-year-old comic arrived, the protester “ripped off her jacket and rushed toward the actor” while shouting, “Hey hey hey, women’s lives matter!”
Rochelle, who was among a group of protesters outside the Pennsylvania courthouse awaiting Cosby’s arrival, had previously posted a photo of herself standing outside the New York address where exteriors of The Cosby Show were shot. “In honor of the first day of the Bill Cosby retrial, I went by the address where they filmed The Cosby Show exterior in New York City… LET’S HOPE JUSTICE WILL FINALLY BE SERVED!” read the caption.
(Via BuzzFeed News)