'Try him again': Celebrities react to Bill Cosby mistrial
Kristen Schaal, Lena Dunham, Kumail Nanjiani and others show support for assault victims after jury deadlock
Writer-producer Judd Apatow, Girls creator Lena Dunham and Silicon Valley's Kumail Nanjiani are just some of Hollywood's outspoken entertainers reacting to Bill Cosby's mistrial.
"Serious question: How will Cosby ever get an unbiased jury?" Nanjiani posted Saturday. "Who doesn't know him or have some sort of association with him?"
Serious question: How will Cosby ever get an unbiased jury? Who doesn't know him or have some sort of association with him?
—@kumailnAfter six days and more than 50 hours of deliberations, the jury in Cosby's sexual assault trial said in court that it was deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The judge was forced to declare a mistrial but prosecutors are vowing to re-try the 79-year-old.
- Prosecutors will retry Bill Cosby after judge declares mistrial
- The Bill Cosby trial: what happened and what happens next
"Survivors of sexual assault have to watch every day as the legal system calls them liars and denies their truth," Dunham, who writes a feminist newsletter online called Lenny Letter, posted as part of a series of tweets. "It is an unimaginable grind."
Bill Cosby's trial is about much more than Bill Cosby. When women see justice served, their own fear & trauma are eased. When they don't...
—@lenadunhamSurvivors of sexual assault have to watch every day as the legal system calls them liars and denies their truth. It is an unimaginable grind
—@lenadunhamMy heart is with every survivor reliving the erasure of their own experience today. I see you. I love you.
—@lenadunhamApatow, who executive produced Girls and is behind Nanjiani's latest film The Big Sick, said "if Cosby's defense is true he is admitting to cheating hundreds of times on his wife with the use of quaaludes."
"He admits to giving her Benadryl," Apatow wrote, referring to Cosby's 2005 deposition which was submitted into evidence during the trial. "That's a lie — but even that is evil. Who does that?"
If Cosby's defense is true he is admitting to cheating hundreds of times on his wife with the use of quaaludes. That's what he admits. <a href="https://t.co/gFthKCfOKa">https://t.co/gFthKCfOKa</a>
—@JuddApatowUnethical like giving college girls drugs to RELAX them. He admits to giving her Benadryl.That's a lie- but even that is evil.Who does that? <a href="https://t.co/dNCsaD6Mfi">https://t.co/dNCsaD6Mfi</a>
—@JuddApatowWriter-actress Kristen Schaal, known for her work as a correspondent on The Daily Show and for her role on HBO's Flight of the Conchords, tweeted: "Try him again."
She added: "Heart goes out to women who came forward. Without that courage there will be more victims."
Try him again. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CosbyTrial?src=hash">#CosbyTrial</a>. Heart goes out to women who came forward. Without that courage there will be more victims. Serial rapist.
—@kristenschaaledThere was some support for Cosby, although much harder to find.
Tariq Nasheed, a producer and media personality, tweeted his belief that the trial was "racially-motivated" and a "motivated money grab."
This Bill Cosby trial was a racially motivated money grab since it started.And the media keep pointing to "Black accusers" to hide this fact
—@tariqnasheedThat judge in the Cosby case was clearly trying to coerce the jury into making a guilty plea. THATS the travesty of justice <a href="https://t.co/1ehmKBT8uv">https://t.co/1ehmKBT8uv</a>
—@tariqnasheedOthers blamed a flawed justice system following the decision.
Star Trek's George Takei said "communities are losing faith in the justice system and that "injustice and corruption are destroying us."
Communities are losing faith in the justice system. People are losing faith in elected leaders. Injustice and corruption are destroying us.
—@GeorgeTakeiWith files from the Associated Press