I am not surprised he smacked him. To me Cosby has always been a class act who never used his color to achieve success or gain attention. People see hem a good comedian and nice all around guy. He has always been popular with kids and not in a Michael Jackson kind of way. They do not view him through the same black lens they do some other actors precisely because he has never made much of an issue out of it.
The same is true of James Earl Jones both are "Americans" no hyphen needed. I am sure this irritates liberals who would like to exploit their popularity for their own causes.
Art Linkletter's "Kids Say the Darnest Things" segment on
House Party was about the kids, not Linkletter.
Cosby's version is about Cosby, with the kids as props.
He has become detestable. But I think equally little of the Smothers.
IMO.