Critics blast Howard University dean Phylicia Rashad after her support of Bill Cosby’s prison release

Howard University’s dean of College of Fine Arts and former actress Phylicia Rashad is under fire after praising Bill Cosby’s release from prison Wednesday when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction.

Rashad, 73, known for her role as Cosby’s wife Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”, tweeted “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!”

The heavy social media backlash from the tweet prompted Howard University, a historically Black university that touts itself as research intensive and culturally diverse, to release a statement on Rashad’s comments.

“Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority. While Dean Rashad acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault,” the school said. “Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies.”

Backlash soon followed Cosby’s former co-star after her initial tweet, with prominent Black figures and alumni calling out Rashad and the university.

Janet Louise, the original Vivian Banks on the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” tweeted, “Phylicia what are you thinking!!! I don’t know you but to say this was terribly wrong. EVERYONE knew what he was doing back then. How could you NOT!”

Howard University College of Fine Arts alum and sexual assault survivor Alicia Sanchez said, “I hope we can have a dean who believes & respects survivors.”