Whoopi Goldberg changes stance, says for Bill Cosby all signs 'points to guilt'

Whoopi Goldberg, one of the few celebrities who has defended Bill Cosby against allegations that he raped and drugged dozens of women, has changed her stance on the scandal.

In a departure from the normal round-table debate style of the “The View,” co-host Goldberg sat down one-on-one with ABC News’ Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams on Tuesday to discuss her take on the disgraced comedian.

Goldberg treated the chat as an educational sit down, claiming that she had always been under the impression that if Cosby had raped and drugged women, he would be arrested and taken to jail.

Taking a much more open-minded approach to discussing the Cosby scandal than she did last week when she declared he was innocent until proven guilty, Goldberg asked Abrams, “As a serial rapist, why is he still on the street?”

Abrams explained that because the civil and criminal statute of limitations has expired for the vast majority of the women accusing Cosby of a crime, he will likely never see the inside of a jail cell.

“Why is there a statute of limitations?” Goldberg asked. “I always thought that rape cases were open-ended.”

Abrams explained there is a movement now to remove the statute of limitations in rape cases, which Goldberg said she fully supports.

An incredulous Goldberg summarized: “I think you look at this case and you see the number of accusations and you say, ‘wait a second…’ I always thought if you take somebody to court, you can have the accuser say ‘that’s who did it,’ but you’re saying all that is left to these women is the court of public opinion.”

“If this is to be tried in the court of public opinion, all the information that is out there kind of points to guilt,” she concluded.

Goldberg’s statements are a major deviation from the previous times she has spoken about Cosby, 77.

Last week on “The View,” Goldberg angered fans by saying: “Save your texts; save your nasty comments. I don’t care. I say this because this is my opinion, and in America, still, I know it’s a shock, but you are still innocent until proven guilty. He has not been proven a rapist.”

She said she on Tuesday that she has taken a lot of heat for her past statements, and she reiterated that now that she is armed with a full understanding of the lack of legal action Cosby accusers can take, “I can’t say any more ‘innocent until proven guilty.’”