MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

How much did Bill Cosby donate to Howard? Actor wants money back if they FIRE Phyilica Rashad

Bill Cosby wanted his donations back after Howard University's condemnation of former on-air wife Phylicia Rashad, who expressed joy on his release

Bill Cosby has tweeted his support for Phylicia Rashad, his former costar, whose job as dean of Howard University might be jeopardized after she openly backed his release from prison this week, on Satuday July 4. Cosby reacted angrily to Howard University's condemnation of his former on-air wife Phylicia Rashad, who expressed her delight at the disgraced actor's release. Cosby's situation deteriorated further as he retweeted a posting by singer and actress Stephanie Mills who in turn voiced her support for Rashad writing: "I love you @phyliciarashad. If it’s true that Howard University wants to terminate her Position because they feel her comments about Mr. Cosby were insensitive, then they should give back the millions of dollars that he donated to the university."

Cosby walked free from prison after the shocking overturning of his sexual assault charges by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 30. At his suburban house, Cosby, 83, was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University employee. Instead of expressing regret for the 2004 incident involving the complainant Andrea Constand, the actor promised to serve the entire ten-year sentence.

READ MORE

Where will Bill Cosby live? Comedian released after 3 years in prison

Is Bill Cosby going to sue state? Disgraced comedian 'angry' he spent 3 years in prison

How did Bill Cosby donate to Howard?

According to a report by the Daily Mail, it is unclear so far how much Cosby has given to Howard University over the years. However, the comedian is well-known for his support of historically black colleges and institutions, of which Howard is one. In 1998, Cosby notably donated $20 million to Spelman College in Atlanta, and he has an honorary degree from Howard University.

The institution has had a difficult time dealing with sexual assault allegations. Six women sued the university in 2017, claiming the institution had "acted with intentional indifference" to their accusations and failed to remove serial predators off-campus. In 2020, the ladies reached an agreement with Howard. Since then, there has been a public uproar about the school's treatment of sexual violence.

Howard students launched a campaign to get Rashad, 73, dismissed as dean of the historically black school, as Rashad gleefully expressed her feelings on Instagram after Cosby's conviction for indecent assault was overturned three years into a ten-year term. She had tweeted: “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!” Rashad's tweet was met with immediate backlash.

The university issued a statement denouncing Rashad’s remarks, writing in part: “Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority. While Dean Rashad has acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault.” Rashad has also since apologized in a letter to Howard University students and families.

But the dean of the College of Fine Arts at the university since May later issued an apology after her previous gleeful message surrounding Cosby's release. "I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.,” Rashad wrote, in a tweet.

She added that she plans “to engage in active listening and participate in trainings to not only reinforce University protocol and conduct, but also to learn how I can become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors and everyone who has suffered at the hands of an abuser.”