Andrew Toth/FilmMagicBill Cosby broke his silence on Twitter today, thanking two of his supporters as rape allegations continue to plague the once-iconic comedian. His tweets, which mentioned nothing of the ongoing sexual assault allegations, were posted just hours before attorney Gloria Allred held a press conference with three of Cobsy's alleged victims.
"Thank you @MissJillScott, from the Cosby Family," the actor posted before later adding, "Thank you @WhoopiGoldberg."
Both Scott and Goldberg have publically defended Cosby—the soul singer called the accusations against the comedian "insane" while Whoopi butted heads with her View co-stars when they previously debated the Cosby case. "It seems now you're guilty no matter what, even if you're innocent, you're guilty because once somebody accuses you of this, that's what you are," she said.
Meanwhile, three women accusing Cosby of sexual assault held a press conference with Allred in Los Angeles this afternoon, where they detailed their allegations as the 73-year-old lawyer urged Cosby to waive his statute of limitations "so he can clear his name" in court. As an alternative, Allred proposed that Cosby contribute $100 million into a fund, which could then be awarded by mediators to the alleged victims.
According to reports, all three women, Helen Hayes, Beth Ferrier and "Chelan," fought back tears as they read their statements (warning: graphic content below).
Ferrier says she met Cosby in the mid-80s when she was an aspiring model and actress and claims that the two engaged in an "extramarital affair for several months." A few weeks after she ended the relationship, Ferrier says she met up with Cosby "at his request" when he was performing in Denver, Colo., where she resided at the time.
"When I arrived backstage, Mr. Cosby greeted me and handed me a cappuccino, telling me that he had made 'my favorite drink.' After I drank it, I lost conscious."
She continued, saying that the last thing she remembers is "drinking Mr. Cosby's coffee" before claiming, "I believe Mr. Cosby drugged me in order to sexually assault me that night."
Ferrier, who was known as Jane Doe No. 5 in the earlier Andrea Constand lawsuit (the case was ultimately settled out of court) also called upon Cosby to "face justice for what he has done to me and so many other women."
During the press conference, Hayes, also detailed her encounter with Cosby, which took place in the summer of 1973 when she attended Clint Eastwood's Celebrity Tennis Tournament. "Bill followed us around all day on Saturday," she says, adding that she attended the event with a pal. "He found us again on Saturday night even though we had changed restaurants several times to avoid him...But then he approached from behind and reached over my shoulder and grabbed my right breast...his behavior was like that of a predator."
The third alleged victim, Chelan, said she met Cosby in Las Vegas in 1986 when she was just 17 years old. The then-aspiring model claims that Cosby promised to introduce her someone from the Ford Modeling Agency, so she went back to his hotel suite after he performed a stand-up show.
"I had a cold at the time, so he gave me a blue pill, which he said was antihistamine with a double shot of Amaretto. He was rubbing my neck and saying that he might have to have someone come in and give me stress therapy. He had me put on a Hilton robe because he said someone from the Ford agency was coming up to the suite...Someone did come up to the room, took a couple pictures, and told me to lose 10 pounds. Then they left."
She goes on to say that, "after a second shot of Amaretto" Cosby walked her to the bedroom and laid down with her, at which point he began "pinching my left nipple and humping my leg while he was grunting. I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't open my mouth or say anything...Then I blacked out."
"13 to 16 hours later I woke up by hearing Mr. Cosby clapping his hands and saying 'Daddy says wake up.' He gave me $1500," she claims.
"Under no circumstances would I ever give advice to Cosby," Allred said at the press conference, but "I did make some proposals which I think he should consider seriously."
Cosby's attorney Marty Singer has yet to comment on the press conference, although he has previously shot down the sexual assault claims made by multiple women. "We've reached a point of absurdity," Singer said in a statement obtained by NBC News. "The stories are getting more ridiculous."