Bill Cosby had an odd request for Letterman’s interns — and it wasn’t about the show: "He made us..."
David Letterman has been a popular talk show host for many years, but not everyone has had a great experience with him. Some guests found him unwelcoming, and his interviews sometimes led to awkward moments. Paris Hilton experienced this firsthand on live TV. Richard Simmons also shared that he tried to form a friendship with Letterman, but it never worked out. Oprah Winfrey had a difficult relationship with him for years, though they later reconciled. One of Letterman’s regular guests was Bill Cosby. However, their relationship changed in 2014 when serious allegations against Cosby surfaced.
Letterman had already noticed some strange behavior from Cosby, including an unusual request backstage from his female interns. In November 2014, Cosby faced increasing sexual accusations after Barbara Bowman publicly shared her experience from the 1980s. As more women spoke out, Cosby and his team started canceling appearances, including one on 'The Late Show'. Variety reported the cancellation, stating, "Bill Cosby has canceled an appearance on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ scheduled for Wednesday as mainstream media outlets heighten the scrutiny of longstanding allegations of sexual assault leveled against the comedian. A rep for Cosby did not respond to a request for comment. CBS would not comment on the change in ‘Late Show’s’ Wednesday guest lineup."
Behind the scenes, some staff members may have been relieved about the cancellation. Cosby also had an odd backstage habit that made interns uncomfortable. According to a source from NY Daily News, Cosby would allegedly request that female interns and assistants sit quietly in the green room and watch him eat curry. The source explained, "He'd include as a request, before he arrived, that the young girls, interns, and assistants, all had to gather around in the green room backstage and sit down and watch him eat curry. No one would say anything, and he would sit silently eating and make us watch and want us to watch. He made us watch."
At the time, this request was just seen as strange. But after the allegations against Cosby, it took on a more disturbing meaning. Currently, Cosby’s plans remain unclear, though there were rumors of a comeback tour in 2023, which many people opposed. Letterman had once admired Cosby’s comedy style. In an interview with GQ, he described how Cosby’s storytelling influenced him, "When I started in comedy, all my buddies were writing jokes, and you lived and died by the jokes. But if you're telling stories, you have a better chance of survival because of the personal connection. You're exposing yourself. I can remember Louis C.K. saying…and everybody felt this way…that the best at doing that was Bill Cosby. He would come out and spend 90 minutes just telling you stories."
However, Letterman admitted that his view of Cosby changed after the accusations. He added, "I've known Bill Cosby since before I had my own show. He's a part of American culture. And yet I hesitated before telling that story about Louis C.K. So there's a taint there. If he's guilty of everything he's accused of, that's a ruined, broken individual." Without a doubt, the relationship between Cosby and Letterman was never the same after the scandals.
