Report: Sidney Poitier ‘disgusted’ with Bill Cosby over sexual assault allegations
Legendary actor Sidney Poitier is reportedly “terribly disgusted” with embattled comedian Bill Cosby following the numerous sexual assault allegations against him that have emerged since November last year. Or, at least, that’s what a source close to the actor is saying.
Legendary actor Sidney Poitier is reportedly "terribly disgusted" with embattled comedian Bill Cosby following the numerous sexual assault allegations against him that have emerged since November last year. Or, at least, that's what a source close to the actor is saying.
Speaking exclusively to the National Enquirer, the anonymous source indicates that Poitier is distraught over the news and "feels sorry for him" but will "say nothing about Cosby."
"Look at Sidney Poitier — unblemished, untainted, and distinguished," the source told the Enquirer. "Look at Bill Cosby. Thirty women, they're not all lying."
This, however, is not the first time Poitier's name has come up in the firestorm of allegations against Cosby. Back in November 2014, Cosby accuser Joan Tarshis came forward to allege the comedian assaulted her in 1969, some time after introducing her to Sidney Poitier.
Via Radar Online:
Cosby accuser Joan Tarshis named Poitier when writing about visiting the set of The Bill Cosby Show in 1969. "He once introduced me to Sidney Poitier as 'Midget,' his pet name for me because I was 5-foot-3," she wrote. Tarshis has claimed that she was later drugged and raped by Cosby in his nearby bungalow — claims Cosby has denied.
Incidentally, Poitier also presented Alan Ladd Jr. with the 1996 Best Picture Oscar for Braveheart. Ladd Jr. is the husband of Cindra Ladd, who claimed last month to have been drugged and raped by Cosby in 1969. The Enquirer's anonymous source indicates that that particular element caused the allegations against Cosby to "hit close to home" for Poitier.
"I can tell you that Mr. Poitier is terribly disgusted by what Bill Cosby has done, and he feels sorry for him," the source said.
Poitier and Cosby have a long history of working together, with Poitier, now 87, having starred in a number of films with Cosby including Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Let's Do It Again (1975), and A Piece of the Action (1977). In 1990, Poitier switched roles and directed Cosby in the box office flop, Ghost Dad.
"Have you even heard of whispers about Sidney Poitier?," the anonymous source asked the Enquirer at one point. "He's dignified, and remains that way — which is why he will say nothing about Cosby."