Following Thursday’s (Apr. 26) verdict where he was found guilty of three counts of felony indecent aggravated assault against Andrea Constand, Bill Cosby says he is preparing for his potential 30-year prison stint by channeling the spirit of Nelson Mandela.
Throughout his trial(s), the acclaimed comedian has stayed in contact with Page Six. He frequently referenced living in prison as “that place,” explaining to the publication how he plans to survive his incarceration.
“I think back to the time when Camille and I went to visit Nelson Mandela in South Africa. He was a free man, but I remember when we met him at Robben Island where he had been in a prison for all of those years,” Cosby recounted. “I sat in that cell where he lived, and I saw how he lived… what he had to eat to live and what he went through. So, if they send me to that place, then that’s what they will do, and I will have to go there.”
His loose comparison to the Apartheid political prisoner turned South African president is not the first-time Cosby or his team has likened his trial to a civil injustice. These consistent pleas could be an attempt to place Cosby back into the public’s good graces as he has already stated plans to appeal his conviction. Yet, if this is the motive, his actions are contradicted by the mannerisms he displayed during the proceedings. Many times, Cosby broke his parental friendly persona by spewing vulgar outbursts characterized by the one that followed his conviction where he called the prosecutor an “a**hole” for suggesting a millionaire could be a flight risk, The Hollywood Reporter states.
And while Cosby’s formerly mentioned appeal plans would stall his introduction to “that place” by nine to eleven months, if they’re denied, the 80-year-old entertainer will be required to serve at least 10 years of his possible 30-year sentence in a cell.