Whoopi Goldberg Skeptical of Bill Cosby Accuser: ‘Don't You Do a Kit’ After Getting Raped?
ABC's “The View” spent a significant portion of Monday's episode discussing the resurfacing of rape allegations against comedian Bill Cosby, but Whoopi Goldberg refused to pass early judgment.
Instead, the host expressed doubts over actress Barbara Bowman's accusations and suggested she might come onto the program to answer a few questions directly.
See photos: 11 TV Shows Canceled by Controversy - From 'Honey Boo Boo' to 'Politically Incorrect' (Photos)
“Quiet honestly, look, I'm sorry, having been on both sides of this where people allege that you do something — it doesn't matter now. The cat is out of the bag, people have it in their head,” Goldberg said. “I have a lot of questions for the lady, maybe she'll come on.”
Goldberg's co-hosts quickly pointed out that she had answered questions with other outlets. In addition to describing the sexual assault in a recent Washington Post op-ed, Bowman explained her case Monday morning on the ABC's “Good Morning America.”
See photos: Bill Cosby's Getting Another Sitcom: 10 Other TV Dads Who Adopted a New Family (Photos)
“I had one glass of wine and the next thing I knew, I was coming to slumped over the toilet,” Bowman explained on “GMA,” in a clip played on “The View.” “Who's going to believe that? Bill Cosby? Doctor Huxtable?”
“Perhaps the police might have believed it,” Goldberg responded. “Or the hospital. Don't you do a kit when you say someone has raped you?”
“But there was a settlement,” co-host Rosie O'Donnell explained. “So that's the thing that's curious.”
Also read: Newly Emerged Bill Cosby Accuser Says She Wants People to ‘Understand That He's Not Mr. Clean’
Goldberg pointed out a settlement is no indication of guilt. ”I can speak to settlements. Settlements don't necessarily mean you're guilty,” she explained.
“You generally settle because you don't want to put your family through it again, you don't want to keep going through it again and again and again,” Goldberg continued. “I hope there is justice for this lady, I hope somebody gets to the bottom of this, but I'm going to reserve my judgments because I have a lot of questions.”
“It's very awkward,” O'Donnell said. “Isn't it awkward?”
Also read: New Bill Cosby Accuser Reveals Troubling Details of Two Alleged Rapes
“It's more than awkward, it's a tragedy,” co-host Nicolle Wallace responded. “Either 13 women were raped by someone too powerful to face the criminal justice system or an innocent man is being falsely accused. This is either a tragedy or a tragedy.”
As TheWrap previously reported, Cosby had a “Late Night” appearance scheduled for Wednesday, but it was canceled amid resurfaced allegations. The actor has denied Bowman's story, as well as similar accusations leveled by other women.
“You have to really take a minute and follow the evidence — follow what happened,” Goldberg said. “We'll know when we know. That's what I know.”
Related stories from TheWrap:
Newly Emerged Bill Cosby Accuser Says She Wants People to 'Understand That He's Not Mr. Clean'
Bill Cosby NBC Comedy and Netflix Special Still Planned Amid Resurfaced Rape Allegations
New Bill Cosby Accuser Reveals Troubling Details of Two Alleged Rapes
