Keshia Knight Pulliam Reacts To Bill Cosby Accusations After Being Fired By Trump On ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

Keshia Knight Pulliam is reacting to her firing by Donald Trump on the Celebrity Apprentice premiere that aired Sunday night. The episode was filmed in March 2014, long before the Bill Cosby sexual assault accusations began emerging from multiple women. On Sunday night’s show, viewers were shocked at why Keshia — who portrayed Rudy Huxtable on The Cosby Show — was eliminated on the show by Trump in the boardroom. Trump was disappointed in Pulliam’s refusal to contact Cosby for help in raising money for a charity project in the competition. As project manager, Trump fired her specifically for not calling up Cosby.

The former Cosby Show star spoke out about that experience on Today Monday morning, and shares more about why she didn’t pick up the phone and ask her former TV dad to give money to her charity.

“I know ‘The Cosby Show’ is in reruns, and everyone thinks that we’re this family that has dinner every Friday night. But the reality was I hadn’t spoken to Mr. Cosby. I felt that it would be tactless, very rude to call someone and be like, ‘Hey, so, let me have some money right now.'”

When it comes to the allegations against Cosby, Keshia Knight Pulliam says she doesn’t know that side of him.

“What I can say is this: I wasn’t there. No one was there except for the two people who know exactly what happened. All I can speak to is the man that I know and love.”

Keshia went on to say that despite all that’s come out about Cosby, “you can’t take away from all the great that he has done,” she says.

She’s referring to the “millions and millions” of dollars that he’s donated to colleges and education. She adds that “just what he did with ‘The Cosby Show’ and how that was groundbreaking” still means something in light of what’s surfaced in recent months.

The former Celebrity Apprentice contestant emphasizes that the Bill Cosby she knows just isn’t what people are now hearing about. She says that the allegations against him are “ultimately just that, allegations,” and that public opinion has made up their mind he’s guilty.

Sunday night, Donald Trump tweeted a message following the Celebrity Apprentice episode. He defends his decision in firing Keshia Knight Pulliam.

“This show was taped just before the terrible Bill Cosby revelations came to light.She still should have asked him for money-goes to charity.”

[Photo Credit: Celebrity National Weekly]