Bill Cosby says his town halls won't be about sexual assault

Bill Cosby has issued a statement reversing comments by his publicists last week that indicated he was planning a series of town halls to discuss sexual assault and the legal system, while also blaming the media for spreading “propaganda” against him.

“The current propaganda that I am going to conduct a sexual assault tour is false,” said the statement, which was posted to the actor and comedian’s social media accounts Tuesday. “Any further information about public plans will be given at the appropriate time.”

Appearing on Good Morning Alabama last week, in the wake of Cosby’s sexual assault case ending in a mistrial, spokespersons Andrew Wyatt and Ebonee Benson strongly suggested that sexual assault would be a major topic of Cosby’s talks.

“We’ll talk to young people because this is bigger than Bill Cosby,” Wyatt said. “This issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today. And they need to know what they’re facing when they’re hanging out and partying, when they’re doing certain things that they shouldn’t be doing. And it also affects married men.”

Benson added, “Laws are changing. The statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault are being extended, so this is why people need to be educated on — a brush against a shoulder, anything at this point can be considered sexual assault, and it’s a good thing to be educated about the laws.”

Reached for comment about his remarks last week, Wyatt said in an email to EW that Cosby intended “to speak to young men and women about the judicial system,” including the notion that “people in the judicial system can use their powers to annul deals for personal agenda and political ambitions.” He added, “This is not a sexual assault tour.”