Ebony Magazine's cover featuring the cast members of The Cosby Show behind shattered glass is both powerful and controversial. The cover communicates the message of a shattered perception of this iconic fictional American family and its lovable patriarch. The cover is for a story entitled, "Cliff-Hanger: Can 'The Cosby Show' Survive? Should It?" and examines the viability of the show as a symbol of black family life after many allegations of Bill Cosby's sexually abusive past have emerged. Like many others Raven-Symone and Malcolm-Jamal Warner had strong opinions about the controversial cover photo.
Warner, who played Theo Huxtable, visited The View to discuss the cover and his feelings about the show in light of recent allegations. The actor told Raven-Symone and the other hosts, "We really don't have enough time on this show to really talk about how I feel about that."
Symone added, "Let's not forget that The Cosby Show was a sitcom and not a reality show. Let's just remember that this was a sitcom and we had writers and things of that nature."
"That's the show that we're all very proud to have been on," Warner said.
According to E! Online, Ebony said in a statement to E! News, "This is our annual Family Issue and we decided, after much deliberation, to go with a focus on what we felt was an urgent and provocative conversation happening within the Black community. It wasn't just about making a statement; the cover is also asking questions."
After comedian Hannibal Burress spoke of Bill Cosby's past sexual assault allegations in a live stand-up show that eventually went viral (one year ago), many women have come forward saying Cosby drugged and raped them while posing as a mentor of sorts. The news has disheartened any who saw Cosby as an authority on morality, presentability, and class.
