Bill Cosby Punch Smothers Tommy Smothers (Family TV Icon Decks Folk Singer over Civil Rights Slur)

New York Post ^ | April 20, 2003 | Richard Johnson

[ewing]

Bill Cosby wasn't always the affable family man that he plays on television.

Angered by taunts that he didn't do enough in the civil rights struggle, Cosby once sucker punched Tommy Smothers according to Gerald Nachmans new book.

Smothers recalls Cosby told him, 'Maybe I will give you a knock upside the head one of these days. I said, 'Yeah, go ahead and give it a try.'

A few weeks later Cosby made good on his threat when the two ran into each other at one of Hugh Hefners Playboy Mansion parties.

'I should have never turned my back on him,' Smothers said. 'He didn't have the b*lls to do it when I was looking.'

'He slipped behind Hugh Hefner and sucker punched me. He hit me right in the head with his fist.'

Smothers went down, the book reports, at which point Cosby began shouting 'Come onm I will kick your *ss!.'

[Rastus]

Cosby's wife hates white people.

That's an unfair generalization. She likes Castro just fine.

[BenLurkin]

Urban legend has it that Cosby was a silent contributor to O. J. Simpson's defense costs.

[BenLurkin]

I had a chance meeting with Tommy Smothers once. He was waiting to receive a "Parent of the Year" (or some such similar) award in downtown L.A.

I was looking at a display table which included the awards when he walked up next to me and started glancing over the display.

We spoke briefly. He was cordial.

[ewing]

Well, I guess you have to start somewhere in the business..

[ewing]

I was waiting until 'A Mighty Wind' comes to our town..they reviews said amost the whole thing is improv, like Spinal Tap or Guffman

[T Lady]

Save for Tupac, that would indeed be a funny sight! I myself CANNOT imagine any of these people being around in another thirty years!

As for Cosby, I have always admired his work, but not his politics-the same goes for the Smothers Brothers.

-Regards, T.

[skeeter]

He may be a great guy personally. I just get tired of his smart-ass 60s rebel shtick.

[usurper]

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.

[Michael2001]

Somewhere in there is a jello joke; but I'm too lazy to find it.

[demosthenes the elder]

I dunno, I rather liked his "Are you dead?" commencement address at Howard University a few years back.
He asked some of the right questions.

[demosthenes the elder]

oh, dear me!

[farmfriend]

The last time I saw an interview with him, not counting when his son was killed, was on the orginal Donahue show if that tells you anything. Before Oprah and the rest came along.

[demosthenes the elder]

yeeech!
you actually sat through an entire Donahurl interview?
you have my sympathy.

[Fresh Wind]

Cosby is an unrepentant racist.

Perhaps, but it isn't enough to keep him from using a white Jewish ghostwriter to do his books for him (Ralph Schoenstein).

[farmfriend]

I was young and stupid. Some of his early shows were pretty good. He was able to pull big names etc. I was too young to know anything about politics.

[demosthenes the elder]

Donahue, Price is Right, Carter, Disco.
The Four Horsemen of the Lamepopcultureypse which ruined my childhood.
Gad! The Seventies blew!

[eddie willers]

Hi Coyote....
Good to see you...didn't know you were posting again.

[eddie willers]

Somewhere in there is a jello joke; but I'm too lazy to find it.

Excuse_My_Bellicosity covered for you in post #4.

[Othniel]

Oops. My bad. I meant to say Snoop, or Vanilla Ice, or any one of the host of novelty acts that are hits with teens. Sorry.

[Doc Savage]

That is an honorary degree bestowed upon him for being a lying, cheating husband, who never told a funny joke in his life, and was as close to a tennis pro as John McEnroe was to being a brain surgeon. Cosby sucks!