Damon Wayans Says Many of Cosby’s Victims Are “Unrapeable” and the Rest Are a “Money Hustle!”

Congratulations, Damon Wayans! On your 55th Birthday you have successfully alienated/angered thousands of your previously adoring fans by saying, multiple times in multiple ways, that Bill Cosby’s accusers are liars!  Is that what you were going for in your interview this morning on Power 105.1?  Because that’s what people are going to take away from the interview.  You were likely hoping to focus on press about your career and upcoming gig during the interview, and you could have deflected the question about Cosby, but that’s not quite how it happened.

Instead, in the last third of the interview, you said – in many different ways – that there is no way Bill Cosby raped most of the women who are accusing him of sexual assault. You even suggested that he had been in long-term romantic relationships with nearly all of them and that they cried rape when he broke off the relationships. Apparently you also believe the ones with whom he wasn’t in a relationship weren’t attractive enough for him to want to bed – which renders them liars because they’re “unrapeable.” 

Great job!  You just put yourself on what has already been proven to be the wrong side of history. Did you not hear that Bill Cosby has already admitted to drugging women he wanted to have sex with without their permission?

Let’s break down some of the comments with which you gifted us this morning:

“How big is his penis that it gave you amnesia for 40 years?”

A delay in going public is not an indication that the allegations are untrue.  Many of the victims have been telling their stories for years, but no one believed them – and the ones who did warned others about Cosby. These allegations didn’t pop up out of thin air in 2014.

“Some of [Cosby’s Accusers] really is unrapeable. Come on, you don’t want that.”

No one is unrapeable. Rape is rape. Physical or personal attributes have nothing to do with a person’s ability to be raped. The only person, man or woman, who is unrapeable is someone who is not in the presence of a rapist.

“You know what Bill Cosby did wrong? He started criticizing young black men. He lost us. So we’re not supporting him. [Cosby’s accusers] see that opening and attack him. I just don’t believe this.  I think it’s a money hustle.”

Because they are all suing him for monetary damages? They are all being paid for their stories?  Nope. Nope. In nearly all of the cases, there is no gain to be achieved by these women in coming forward other than being disparaged by people with attitudes like yours.  Again, your gifting is generous.

“I understand fame; I’ve lived it. Women will throw themselves at you. They just want to be in your presence…Here’s the thing – for anybody who was raped by Bill Cosby – I’m sorry & I hope you get justice.  You other bitches: ‘Okay, he gave me 2 pills.’ He wasn’t a doctor when he gave them pills. That was the drug of choice like molly is the drug of choice right now to get in the mood.  What’s the joy of banging someone who’s asleep?”

Could be that Cosby is Machiavelian, drunk with power, and quite simply a scumbag criminal who gets off on praying on unsuspecting women who are vulnerable because they indeed valued the access to his star power – and he knew it.  He knew he could get away with it. Just because women wanted to have him as a mentor or professional contact does not give him permission to drug them and rape them.  It was the drug of choice at the time for those who chose to take it. Some people were drugged by another person against their will, which also makes it the drug of choice for RAPISTS.

“I wouldn’t want to be Hannibal Buress…I wouldn’t want to be someone to take down my hero. I think we need heroes. And I think we need to be supportive until we know for sure, for sure, because ain’t no charges against him.  Innocent until proven guilty. I want him to come out; I want to hear him say it.  He’s articulate enough to tell the truth. You know, have that conversation with Camille – tell her the truth, then tell us the truth.  This is not how you want your legacy to end.”

Bill Cosby is no hero. We do need heroes, but we need heroes who set a good example for our youth.  I don’t think this is how you want your legacy to end, either, is it, Damon?

Maybe you should take a page from the Whoopi Goldberg playbook and learn some things about rape and the criminal justice system before espousing your opinions as if they were facts. Just because someone CAN get sex from a number of women doesn’t mean he won’t TAKE it without permission for whatever pathetic reason motivates him to do that.

Photo: New York Magazine

For the record, these are the accounts of 35 of the women who have publicly accused him of rape. Perhaps you should contact them and ask about their long-term romantic ties with him and the financial benefits they are receiving as a result of coming forward as victims.  It might be enlightening.