Kanye West takes heat for Cosby 'INNOCENT' tweet
Sarah Silverman, Rachel McGrath among those who reacted
Rapper Kanye West drew a storm of criticism on Twitter for declaring that actor Bill Cosby, charged with drugging and violating a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004, is "innocent."
Amidst a series of tweets West posted Tuesday about his daughter, his beefs with Puma and Nike and his recording studio, the three-word, all-caps tweet stood out.
BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!
—@kanyewestHe posted nothing else about the Cosby case and there was no apparent context for the comment.
Dozens of women have accused Cosby of drugging and sexually assaulting them since the 1960s, but the case involving former Temple University athletic department employee Andrea Constand is the only case in which he has been charged.
The reaction to Kanye's post was swift, with comedian Sarah Silverman and actor Rachel McGrath responding within minutes.
Kanye!! You can't be for real. FIFTY WOMEN. With nothing to gain thanks to a statute of limitations ON RAPE. Oy. <a href="https://t.co/3ekYD43uMs">https://t.co/3ekYD43uMs</a>
—@SarahKSilverman.<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/IylzN3hbzj">pic.twitter.com/IylzN3hbzj</a>
—@RachelMcGrathSome journalists weighed in with their own reactions and, in many cases, reaction GIFs
Erm... <a href="https://t.co/RYTNWNsnx9">https://t.co/RYTNWNsnx9</a>
—@piersmorgan.<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/6GVlnK5JJ4">pic.twitter.com/6GVlnK5JJ4</a>
—@ParkerMolloy. <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/eE9UsZ9eQZ">pic.twitter.com/eE9UsZ9eQZ</a>
—@polly.<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/hmLgR6EVaB">pic.twitter.com/hmLgR6EVaB</a>
—@minakimes.<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/autR7LoyKl">pic.twitter.com/autR7LoyKl</a>
—@goldietaylor.<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/zm1fulpoYN">pic.twitter.com/zm1fulpoYN</a>
—@braddybbIn fact, the replies to West's tweets are a treasure trove of reaction memes
.<a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> <a href="https://t.co/SOwmdz0A4C">pic.twitter.com/SOwmdz0A4C</a>
—@NotAllBhasNo. Just... no. Go sit down and think about what you just said. RT <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/qAKOKG0H1R">pic.twitter.com/qAKOKG0H1R</a>
—@KaibutsuA few people suggested that West's tweet was a way to get some press, with his album T.L.O.P. dropping on Thursday
You really need a buzz for this album, huh? RT <a href="https://twitter.com/kanyewest">@kanyewest</a> BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!
—@LeeTRBLundermining the experience of the women involved in this situation is not the appropriate way to get album promo <a href="https://t.co/b88XV2peJt">https://t.co/b88XV2peJt</a>
—@tyleroakleyJust prior to West's post about Cosby, his wife Kim Kardashian West posted a rant of her own. Her beef was with the Daily Mail and a story about her "diet exile."
She concluded her series of posts with this portent.
those that rant together...
—@KimKardashian