Naturi Naughton is speaking out. In a recent Instagram post, the singer came to Phylicia Rashad‘s defense after her controversial post supporting Bill Cosby following his conviction was overturned last week.
To much surprise, Bill Cosby’s conviction was overturned last week after serving over two years, as theGrio previously reported. Just as the news dropped, Rashad shocked the timeline when she tweeted in support of Cosby. She wrote at the time, “FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted — a miscarriage of justice is corrected!”
The comments immediately gained steam and strong backlash on social media, with many expressing their disappointment in Rashad.
Now, Naughton is defending the actress, writing that “we are allowed to have different opinions.”
The former 3LW singer continued in an Instagram story post, “We are ALLOWED to have different opinions and it doesn’t make you ANTI-anything! @phyliciarashad I stand with you! #TheCosbyShowChangedLives.” Like Rashad’s comments, Naughton is now finding herself under some heat from fans and followers as well.
April Reign, the creator of #OscarsSoWhite, responded to her comments in a tweet thread. She wrote, “Please help me to understand, @naturinaughton. Different opinions about… rape? Are you NOT anti-rape? While The Cosby Show did change lives, that doesn’t change the fact that Bill Cosby drugged & raped women. “Cancel culture” isn’t a thing. Accountability is. Respectfully.”
Responding to a user who replied to her tweet, Reign continued, “For many that was the MO, right? ‘Sweep something under the rug’ instead of ‘airing dirty laundry,’ lest you be seen as bringing someone in the community down. Look at child/sexual abuse by a family member, as an example. ‘Everyone knew; we just didn’t talk about it.'”
Even Kiely Williams, who was in 3LW with Naughton, cheekily responded to her comments supporting Rashad and Cosby. She wrote, “Omfg. Somebody bring me a two piece. She talking crazy again.”
As theGrio previously reported, Rashad clarified her comments mere hours after the backlash. She wrote, “I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.”
As previously reported, Rashad is currently the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. Howard released a statement regarding her tweet, writing, “Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority. While Dean Rashad has acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault.”
Read the full statement below:
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