Bill Cosby was the subject of a Twitter rumor that reported the comedian dead on Monday, August 2, 2010. The trouble was that he was not dead. Cosby called in to the CNN Larry King Live Show and talked to Kyra Phillips on Monday night to report that he was alive and that he finds no humor in the false accounts of his death. Cosby is hoping the nasty rumor will stop because it is upsetting to his family and friends.
Cosby said that this was the fourth time that rumors of his death were spread via social media. He found out about Monday’s runor from his daughter. Cosby said, ‘I found out when my daughter called — my daughter called the house. Someone picked up. And she said, is my father there? And the person said, yes. She said, is he alright? And they said I think so. And so they put her on hold and they got me, and she said, dad, people are calling me. Are you all right? So she had to — it had to hit her where usually ifyou hear about your mother, your father, someone in your family, a friend. And it is no longer fun. ‘
The rumors upset the frieds and family of the comedian, according to Cosby, who continued, ‘It’s something — I had friends call me from — an owner of a restaurant that my wife and I frequent. And that person said his son called him crying, and then he started to cry, and then the staff started to cry. Now, I don’t know, maybe psychiatrists will say I’m feeding this person’s ego. But I just want to say to friends of that person, just tell them to stop, because it isn’t funny. ‘
This is the fourth time the nasty rumor of his demise was spread, according to Cosby, ‘I went — the first time I heard one — and as I said before, this is the fourth time. The first time I heard one, I went to Mark Twain’s old classic piece about the rumors — ‘
Kyra Phillips: Reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Bill Costy, ‘Exactly. So I went to that. And then later, when it showed up again, my wife let me know. And she was upset about it. So then I went into, I would like to write a rebuttal and got into the word rebuttaling. My wife said there’s no such word. I said, I don’t care, I’m alive and I can make up any words I want. That proves I’m alive, because I made up a word. So I’m rebuttaling.
Then when this one showed up, I had — Malcolm Jamal Warner’s mother, the fellow that plays Theo, called me. Even though she heard my voice and she talked to me, it was as heavy and she didn’t like what had happened. And I think that this time, people like Harry Jefferson calling — this time people are not amused by this. ‘
Kyra Phillips summed up Cosby’s statement, ‘Right. It’s hard on your friends and your family. So how do we turn this around, Bill? Should we — you’ve definitely made your point. Hopefully this character is going to stop, because it does. It affects the family, I think, more than anybody else. That’s unfair. But when it comes to you and the fact that we all love you as one of our favorite comedians, I guess this would be the perfect opportunity for me to ask you, all right, so when you do die, what’s that conversation going to be like, that one-on-one talk that you’re going to have with God? ‘
Bill Costy replied, ‘ I don’t know. But I do know I have an impression of what hell is like? … It’s where anybody is laughing but there’s nothing funny.’
