Here’s How Bill Cosby May Have Lured, Drugged, And Raped Women Under His Wife’s Nose

Bill Cosby’s decades of philandering and accused rape apparently required four critical elements.

An almost fatherly, but always polite interest. Some drugs. A loose definition of the word consent. And some financial sleight of hand to keep Camile Cosby in the dark.

These are just some of the takeways from a freshly unsealed deposition that sheds a disturbing light on the comedian, whose reputation as morally upstanding husband, father, and comedic idol has shattered under the weight of rape accusations in recent months.

The document is a transcript from a 2005-06 deposition taken as part of a lawsuit filed by a former Temple University employee, Andrea Constand. It was obtained by the Associated Press this weekend. She sued him for sexual assault in 2004, and settled in 2006, Rolling Stone added.

This document is the only public evidence to support similar claims made by dozens of women; it’s worth noting that the interview doesn’t prove Bill Cosby engaged in any illegal activity and he’s never been charged.

At the time, Constand’s lawyers found 13 other women who had similar stories; they provided anonymous affidavits, but didn’t get their chance to testify before the case was settled. Their cases were never pursued, Vanity Fair added.

According to The New York Times — which obtained the full transcript — in the interview, Cosby “comes across as alternately annoyed, mocking, occasionally charming and sometimes boastful, often blithely describing sexual encounters in graphic detail.” The paper called him an “unapologetic, cavalier playboy” who “used a combination of fame, apparent concern and powerful sedatives in a calculated pursuit of young women.”

Bill Cosby’s dogged pursuit of women began with some carefully chosen details. He gained women’s trust by making them comfortable, and he did this by ostensibly taking an interest in their families, education, and careers. With Beth Ferrier — who accused Cosby of drugging her 30 years ago — he manipulated emotion to get her into bed: he talked to her about her father, who was dying of cancer, in order to have “sexual contact” with her.

Then came the drugs. According to Time, the comedian got a prescription from a now-deceased Los Angeles doctor for Quaaludes for back pain. Bill said the doctor knew their real purpose: the sedative was “the drug that kids, young people were using to party with and there were times when I wanted to have them just in case.” He offered them to others as one would offer a drink, but claimed he never did so without a woman’s knowledge.

Bill Cosby admitted he gave Andrea some Benadryl for stress relief; she has claimed it was something stronger.

Just as disturbing was Bill’s apparent lack of understanding of or concern about consent. In his interaction with Constand, he said he reached into her pants and fondled her, then just assumed she wanted to keep going even though she didn’t speak.

“So I continue and I go into the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection. I am not stopped … I think I’m a pretty decent reader of people and their emotions in these romantic sexual things, whatever you want to call them.”

Cosby also made a strategic effort to keep these “rendezvous” from his wife. According to Time, he gave women money to keep them quiet and at least once, had his agency pay one victim. He then reimbursed the agency to keep the transaction from looking suspicious.

During that enlightening interview, Constand’s lawyer at one point accused Cosby of “making light of a very serious situation.”

Bill was apparently in complete agreement.

“That may very well be,” he said.

[Photo Courtesy David A. Smith/Getty Images]