Resurfaced 2003 clip shows Bill Cosby creepily flirting with Sofia Vergara: "You make me very..."
In light of Bill Cosby’s downfall, no moment from his past seems safe from scrutiny. One resurfaced video, in particular, has sent shockwaves through social media—a 2003 interview in which Cosby, then guest-hosting ‘The Late Show,’ blatantly ogled a young Sofia Vergara and made cringeworthy, indecent remarks. The interview, which initially seemed like a lighthearted exchange, now reads as deeply uncomfortable given the several allegations against Cosby.
As per Inside Edition, as Vergara, then 30 and relatively unknown in the U.S., stepped onto the stage in a colorful low-cut dress, Coby’s reaction was unsettling. He leaned toward her, his eyes scanning her body before he uttered, “You make me feel young again.” He then exaggerated her Spanish accent, saying, “You make me feel very (pause) excited. Look at me.” Vergara tried to steer the moment into humor. She quipped, “Don’t die on me!” She further added, “This is my first time on American TV. Don’t die here! But maybe if you do die I will be very famous. Tomorrow everybody will know me. Bill Cosby died interviewing Sofia Vergara.”
Watch Bill Cosby creep on Sofia Vergara in gross video https://t.co/7GankgWxqT #yikes pic.twitter.com/tuA9lpX1Eb
— Vivala (@HeyVivala) April 2, 2017
At one point, she even confronted him, saying, “You can’t talk to a girl like that.” Fans of Vergara hopped on Reddit to voice out their concerns. One user wrote, “The worst part about it was his clipped speech. Dont know if he was trying to speak more clearly for the ESL lady or if he was subconsciously doing the accent thing.” In another Reddit thread, another user chimed in, “Seems like Cosby roofied himself before this interview by mistake.” In agreement, one Reddit user wrote, “I felt so uncomfortable for her. Seems like a thing in Hollywood where male hosts make it really awkward and the women have to act like it’s so funny and try to downplay how awful the host is being. I love it when women match their energy.”
When the interview was shown to Victoria Valentino, one of Cosby’s accusers, her reaction was blunt: “It’s creepy.” As the video went viral, speculation began to grow. Some even suggested that Vergara could have been one of Cosby’s many alleged victims. However, Vergara was quick to shut down those rumors. When a Spanish radio station tweeted, “It’s rumored [Vergara] could’ve been one of his victims,” she fired back in Spanish, which roughly translates to, “Respect people. Stop making up nonsense,” as reported by Esquire.
As per The Things, Cosby was not the only one to subject her to inappropriate comments and advances. Howard Stern, for instance, notoriously objectified her during a 2003 radio interview, referring to her as “walking Viagra” and making lewd comments about her body. Vergara remarked, “No respect here!” To which Stern says, “I’m respecting you all over the place.” At one point, he even joked about arranging for her to become pregnant so he could “feed” from her. He exclaimed, “That can be arranged.”