A second woman who has accused Bill Cosby of rape has come forward with details of the alleged experience. The allegations against the comedian have kicked into high gear since Hannibal Buress, a male comedian, called Cosby a rapist in a recent stand-up performance.
Joan Tarshis, a former actress, alleges the comedian drugged and raped her twice in 1969 when she was 19 years old. She said she met Cosby through mutual friends, and he often invited her to his room on the Universal lot for help with material for “The Bill Cosby Show,” the Washington Times reported.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Joan Tarshis” author_title=”Alleged victim”]
I was sickened by what was happening to me and shocked that the man I had idolized was now raping me. Of course I told no one.
[/quote]
Tarshis says the first rape occurred after she lost consciousness after Cosby made her a cocktail, while the second incident occurred when she woke up in his bed after the two drank together at a musical performance.
Barbara Bowman, another alleged victim, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed last week that Cosby drugged and raped her during the 1980s. Bowman alleges Cosby assaulted her when she was a 17-year-old aspiring actress in 1985. She said that in one case, she blacked out after drinking a glass of wine at Cosby’s New York City brownstone after he offered to mentor her.
Bill Cosby has never been criminally charged, although he did settle a civil lawsuit in 2006 with Andrea Constand, who said he sexually assaulted her.
Cosby refused to discuss the allegations during an NPR interview over the weekend when Scott Simon ended his interview by directly asking the comedian about allegations that he sexually assaulted more than a dozen women, Vanity Fair reported.
He later canceled an appearance scheduled this week for the “Late Show with David Letterman.”
Cosby’s lawyer has dismissed the allegations as old and “discredited” and said there will be no further comment, the Washington Post reported.
