Last spring, Bill Cosby’s sexual assault trial ended in a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach an unanimous decision. Today, when Cosby showed up to a Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his retrial, he was confronted by an unexpected co-star.
Nicolle Rochelle, an actress who appeared on several episodes of The Cosby Show as a child, jumped a barricade and ran past Cosby and toward a bank of TV cameras. Rochelle was topless, with the names of more than 50 of Cosby’s accusers written on her body. The phrase “Women’s Lives Matter” was also written on her body. The Hollywood Reporter notes she is a member of Femen, a European feminist group known for topless protests.
“The main goal was to make Cosby uncomfortable because that is exactly what he has been doing for decades to women and to show him that the body can be aggressive and empowered,” Rochelle said afterward. She was charged with disorderly conduct and released.
Watch it happen below:
Cosby has been charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault, accused of drugging and molesting a woman named Andrea Constand in 2004. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. This trial, THR says, is being conducted a bit differently than last year’s. Judge Steven O’Neill, for example, is allowing five of Cosby’s other accusers to testify as the prosecuting team tries to make the case that Cosby made a habit of drugging and molesting women. Previously, the judge had only allowed one other accuser to testify.
Cosby has denied all allegations made against him.
