Kobe Bryant's widow speaks for first time as Los Angeles continues to mourn NBA star
Vanessa Bryant thanks fans for their outpouring of support in an emotional online post as the NBA legend is honored at the Staples Center; Jeff Paul reports from Los Angeles.
Imprisoned comedian Bill Cosby sounded off against CBS News on Thursday, claiming the network "used" anchor Gayle King to demean NBA legend Kobe Bryant, after a clip from a King interview sparked outrage.
Cosby, currently serving three to 10 years behind bars for sexual assault, took to social media from jail to commend rapper Snoop Dogg, who criticized King. An interview excerpt showed the "CBS This Morning" anchor asking WNBA icon Lisa Leslie about the 2003 rape accusation made against Bryant.
"Snoop - when they brought me to my gated community and placed me inside of my penthouse, they didn’t win nor did they silence me," Cosby wrote in an Instagram post. "It's so sad and disappointing that successful Black Women are being used to tarnish the image and legacy of successful Black Men, even in death. Are these people that in need of fame, ratings and/or money?"
He continued, "On behalf of myself, Camille and my family, thank you, thank you and thank you. My heartfelt prayers are with Kobe and his family, as well as with Michael Jackson and his family. May their legacies live on forever."
Jackson died in 2009. A decade later, in the 2019 documentary "Leaving Neverland," two men accused the King of Pop of pedophilia when they were young boys.
CBS' 'THE TALK' WEIGHS IN ON GAYLE KING'S BEEF WITH NETWORK OVER KOBE BRYANT COVERAGE
Snoop Dogg had blasted King, saying she was "attacking us" instead of "going after people" like disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
"How dare you try to tarnish my motherf---ing homeboy's reputation, punk motherf---er. Respect the family and back off b---- before we come to get you," the rapper warned the journalist.
King had criticized CBS for distributing the "out-of-context" clip on social media.
"I’ve been up reading the comments about the interview I did with Lisa Leslie about Kobe Bryant, and I know that if I had only seen the clip that you saw, I’d be extremely angry with me too," King said in an Instagram video. "I am mortified. I am embarrassed and I am very angry."
She continued, "Unbeknownst to me, my network put up a clip from a very wide-ranging interview totally taken out of context, and when you see it that way, it’s very jarring. It’s jarring to me."
King had asked Leslie if Bryant’s legacy was complicated by the allegation, and she was quickly vilified over the question that many critics deemed wildly inappropriate when "CBS This Morning" tweeted the clip.
King said she received a "great reaction" when the interview aired but CBS set her up for backlash when it chose what portion to share on social media.
"For the network to take the most salacious part, when taken out of context and put it up online for people who didn’t see the whole interview is very upsetting to me and that’s something I’m going to have to deal with, with them," King said. "There will be a very intense discussion about that."
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CBS News released a statement responding to the controversy.
"Gayle conducted a thoughtful, wide-ranging interview with Lisa Leslie about the legacy of Kobe Bryant. An excerpt was posted that did not reflect the nature and tone of the full interview. We are addressing the internal process that led to this and changes have already been made," CBS said in a statement obtained by Page Six.
Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash last week. He was 41.
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